Learn how to smile
by ArizonaSivy
Summary: The story of Vitani- the Forgotten Lioness. We follow her from the time of her birth throughout the events of her life. As we look upon the lion kingdom from a different perspective, dark and uncomfortable truths are uncovered and the way to disaster becomes more and more tempting...
1. The Undesirable

**AN: Welcome!  
**

 **I had some free time lately and I thought of writing a new fanfic. But then I wondered- who can I write about? Is there a character that I like about whom no one ever writes (or hardly ever).**

 **And then I thought- of course! I'll write something about Vitani. Why? Well, because in the Lion King canon, she kind of came out of nowhere. She's kind of a fill-in character in the second movie, but her attitude has gained her a certain amout of fans. So where exactly _is_ Vitani from? Was she born in the Pridelands or the Outlands? How did her life look under Zira? And what happened to her after the events of Simba's Pride?**

 **Well, I'll try to answer some of these questions and uncover some of the secrets of the Pridelands as best I can. I hope you will enjoy it.**

 **Reviews are welcome. Let me know what you think about my version of the Forgotten Lioness' life.**

* * *

 **Learn how to smile**

* * *

 **Chapter 1 – The Undesirable**

When Sarabi entered the den, the stone floor was covered in blood.

The sight did not frighten her, however. For that was not the blood from a wound. No, it was the blood of life. The blood of birth.

Her heart moved as she remembered when she herself gave birth to her son Simba- in that same place, all those years ago... And even though he had died, and many, many horrbile things have also happened since that time, new life in the pride was always a good thing... Right?

Somehow, she tried to make herself believe that. Even when she saw the mother cringing in the corner, her body shaking from time to time with spasms of sobbing.

The old lioness sighed. She had to at lest try to cheer her up- it was her duty as former queen, and the avowed protectress of the pride against... Well, against _him_.

She went pass the large stain of blood and came up to the crying lioness. Trying to make her voice as gentle as she could, she spoke:

-Congratulations, my dear. You have now become a mother.

It took Sarabi's friend some time to even be able to turn her head and direct her red eyes at her... Eyes filled with the deepest possible sorrow. The old female understood that her words did not have the intended effect at all.

But she also saw something else in the young mother's face. Was she... hurt? Yes, it seemed as if she had fresh bruises and cuts!

-Oh my...! - Sarabi gasped. - My dear, what heppened? Who did this to you...?

With a lot of effort, her friend overcame her sobbing and stood up, pulling her nose and wiping her tears away, trying to show how strong she was. But the pain of childbirth was still too much for her, so she had to lie down again immediately. She wouldn't look Sarabi in the face, embarrased by the miserable state she was in.

-My _mate,_ our beloved _king_ did this to me... - she uttered disdainfully. - He expected a boy cub, and all he got from me was this...

The lioness pointed toward a corner of the cave with her head. To her great shock, Sarabi noticed that her friend's cub was not right there by her side, but left on the cold floor, alone.

The older female quickly ran up to the tiny blind ball of tan fur. It was alive, but nobody even bothered to clean it.

-Oh dear...! How could you leave your newborn daughter like that!

Outraged by everything she was whitnessing, she picked up the cub and carried it over to its mother, putting her between her paws. The young lioness wouldn't even look at her.

-Take it away! – she hissed. - It's Scar's daughter, I never wanted her... I never wanted any of this.

She started crying again. Dumbfounded and not really knowing what to do, Sarabi took the cub herself and started licking its fur.

-Darling, please... – said the old female with sadness. - I know you are in pain, but this cub is also your daughter. She's a part of you, and she deserved your love. Despite everything that happened, the cub is always innocent.

The young mother gazed at her with tears in her eyes.

-A part of me... - she wondered. And then a flash of anger appeared in her eyes. - Yes. A part of me I would like to forget. Something that will remind me of my misery until the day I die.

The growl she released was one of pain and fury. Sarabi remembered that when Scar chose, or rather forced her young friend to become his mate, she wanted to kill him. The old queen was barely able to persuade her to relent, explaining what horrible consequences any unwise action might have with the hyenas' presence at Pride Rock.

-Take her – the mother insisted furiously. - You take care of her. I don't want her. I don't have the strength... Take her or I'll throw her to the hyenas, just to make Scar mad!

Sarabi shook. That was too much, even for her.

-Have you gone mad yourself? - she gasped, lifting her voice a bit more than intended.

The young lioness chuckled desperately. A big tear flowed down her cheek.

-Are you going to hit me as well? Just like my _mate_ did?

It was all too horrible. Sarabi was speachless. Looking down at the tiny cub lying between her paws, a sight that reminded her of her own motherhood, she could not believe how another mother could hate her child this much. But, then again, Simba was the fruit of her and Mufasa's love. Whereas this poor cub... was the child of rape.

Not even willing to pretend that she understood her friend's pain, Sarabi rose from the ground.

-You need time - she said. - I will leave you alone and tell the others not to disturb you. You have to calm down first- you've been through too much suffering. But you _will_ have to take care of this cub. I will not let it die, never. Me and the other lionesses can look after her, but you're the only one of us who has milk to feed her with.

Totally resigned, the young lioness put her head back on the floor and turned away.

-Whatever... - she huffed, exhausted. - Just leave me in peace and let me sleep...

Sarabi wanted to go away, but then she remembered something.

-Darling... - she whispered. - You haven't told me how you wanted to name your daughter.

-I never wanted a daughter - the answer came from a motionless heap of fur. - Go ask her _father_.

-But... did Scar already tell you how he wanted to call the cub? Please, dear. Just tell me this one thing and I promise I'll leave you alone.

Two blood-shot eyes of the young mother gazed at her, shiny from the tears that filled them.

- _Shetani._

Sarabi gasped.

-Shetani? _Demon_? Is that really the name Scar chose for his da…?

- _No_. – the mother cut her off. – That's how _I_ call her. _He_ named her Vitani. Now please, take her out of my sight!

* * *

 **AN: So you thought that all days at Pride Rock were happy and sunny? Think again.**

 **Right now Scar is king, and I think that it's not completely impossible to say that he was Vitani's father. In this story, he _is_. Poor Vitani...**

 **Do you think that's unlikely? Keep reading and you'll discover the truth eventually, as well as the answer to more of Pride Rock's dark secrets...**


	2. Peace in the Pridelands

**Chapter 2 – Peace in the Pridelands**

 ***** Three years later *****

The hunt turned out to be a success.

By now the bones of the large buffalo had been scattered around and were basically bare. Whatever was left of its meat was being picked away by buzzards, but the pride did not mind that anymore. The lions were lying under the nearby trees and sleeping, their bellies full and their faces smiling from the satisfaction.

All but one of them, that is.

She had her fill of food, that was true, but yet she couldn't fall asleep. Even though she had lead the hunt and could feel especially happy with herself right now, somehow she didn't. Instead, she observed. Having lived in an atmosphere of danger for years made her develop a certain subconscious sense of caution. She remembered her mother would often make her stand guard when the other lionesses were resting. She remembered she always hated that… And now she was awake, watching and waiting for some unnamed enemy lurking in the grass, ready to attack. Seemed that it just became second nature to her.

But there was something more. Something inside that didn't let her find her inner peace. What was it? She constantly asked herself that. As she looked around, everyone who surrounded her seemed happy- Pridelanders and Outsiders, not enemies anymore but one pride, living and hunting together in the wonderful, rich kingdom around Pride Rock. This day's hunt turned out to be a success, like the one yesterday and the one before that. The Pridelands were simply overflowing with food and water, all she ever dreamed would be hers. And yet…

She turned her eyes toward the king. Simba laid there peacefully beside his mate, his mane reflecting the sun's rays. He was strong, wise and brave, he demonstrated that during the war that happened just so few days ago… His subjects felt safe. His family had his love and protection. His whole pride was strong and occupied one of the best hunting territories in Africa.

Next she looked toward her brother. After this short time spent in the Pridelands, Kovu seemed as if he'd been born here. But after all, his mate was the king's daughter. He was happy, at last free to spend time with his beloved Kiara… Ah, Kiara. Vitani tried as hard as she could to like this young female she'd once been taught to hate. She even began teaching her how to hunt whenever Simba stole Kovu away from her to give him lessons on some matters he considered important.

And what about her? What about Vitani, the warrior who had nothing else to fight for? Yes, it was true that Simba made her the chief huntress, relieving his own mate from the task that requires youth and agility. It was true that hunting in the Pridelands was pure pleasure, and the two groups of lionesses seemed to be getting along pretty well, which made hunting big game easier than ever…

So why was everyone around resting happily, while she, Vitani, laid on top of a hill restlessly, tossed around by some unknown feeling of anxiety? It was hard for her to determine, but somehow she felt that the way everyone was now okay in spite of all the events of just days ago, was kind of weird. How do enemies suddenly become friends so quickly? True, the Pridelanders turned out to be nice and all. Not like Zira said…

Ah, yes. Zira. Her mother. Their leader. How fast has everyone forgotten about her! Sure, she was wrong. Vitani would be the first one to know that, having betrayed her herself when her mother needed her the most. But how come everyone just decide not to mention her name after her tragic death, as if she never existed? Even her army, her faithful lionesses. Even Kovu did that after hardly shedding a tear and throwing himself immediately into his mate's embrace, despite that _he_ should be the one mourning her the most, not her... Well, all that she, Vitani, knew was that she couldn't forget. And that, at the heart of things, no one really did- and that it all was, somehow, just a sad show.

She wanted to speak to someone about her doubts, but she couldn't. Speaking to Pridelanders was out of the question. She could ask one of her former pridesisters, but frankly, she didn't really trust them- not just because it used to be 'every lion for himself' when they lived in the Outlands. She was just too suspicious of them having adapted to this new life of theirs on such short notice. Then there was Kovu, her brother, but she would have to speak to him alone, and in a pride as big as this one, with their duties and him being married and everything, that was really hard to do.

Later that evening, when everyone woke up and Simba gave the signal, she joined the pride and started walking back toward Pride Rock. She chatted with some of the huntresses on the way casually about today's hunt, not wanting to stand out as an outsider because of her strange mood. But, nevertheless, her thoughts were elsewhere. As soon as they reached their lair, Vitani came up to her brother and asked him if he was busy. She should have known that she would be disappointed yet again, as Kovu explained to her that Simba wanted to speak with him again about something that evening.

So she was sentenced to be alone again. Not wanting to stay in the company of the pride, she snuck out as she did many times before. She could see the setting sun illuminating the majestic Pride Rock, turning its surface blood red. But there was also another place she had to pass on her way, one that filled her with a strange, uneasy feeling. She wasn't someone who became frightened easily, but even here, in the Pridelands, there were places that all animals avoided, even the ones that feared nothing.

Vitani walked pass the cave east of Pride Rock many times, but she could never make herself go to what used to be Scar's den. Scar- the murderer, the demon-lion, as they called him. She could hardly remembered him. But what she could remember was that Zira loved him. Has Zira ever had the same love for her children that she had for her mate, even long after he was dead? Vitani didn't know. It was only one of the many, many questions she wanted to ask her, now that it was much too late.

When Vitani reached the great Zuberi river that marked the border of the kingdom, she again began her nightly ritual. With her nose close to the ground and her eyes wide open, she started searching for something she so much longed to find, even though she knew that it might all be for nothing and that even success would hardly be any sort of a consolation. She searched for a familiar scent, and for the bones of an old lioness.

High above her, the bright stars were covered with a lone cloud.

* * *

 **AN: This chapter is written from a different chronological perspective. I'm going to be jumping back and forth from the events from Vitani's past and later life.**

 **Here we see the aftermath of Simba's Pride. Everything seems fine from the outside... but Vitani, who during her life in the Outlands has developed a keen sense of a sentinel, is still cerful to make that assumption. And, even now, her past still follows her somewhere like a shadow.**

 **Let me know if you like this method of telling Vitani's tale. New chapters comming soon.**


	3. Good News

**Chapter 3 – Good News**

Kovu dreamt of flying. Or falling, to be exact. But it wasn't like the typical dreams one had about falling from a great height, which are usually violent and frightening. No, after all that happened and all the real nightmares, he no longer had scary dreams, but ones that were like his life right now- dreams of peace and joy. And so his fall was much slower and softer than natural, and there was no bottomless pit or rocky ground awaiting him below, but a clear, cool lake of great beauty. And as he approached the lake, he could see his mate waiting for him on the shore- lying on the soft grass and smiling, waiting for him to come to her as if after a long time apart.

But before he reached the surface of the water, the water reached him- and splashed straight into his face.

-Hey! Who did that? – he yelled after being woken up so suddenly. He shook his head to get the water out of his eyes and mane, only to see his sister standing on the shore of the watering hole. – Vitani? What's up, is it time to go already?

The lioness approached him and whispered.

-It's not. So shut up. Everyone else's still sleeping.

-Then why'd you…

- _Shhh!_ – she silenced her brother who was, obviously, angry at her for having deprived him of his well-earned rest after the hunt. – Come, follow me. I wanna speak to you in private.

Kovu hesitated.

-I don't know. I think I should stay with Kiara…

-There's twenty other lions here to protect her, you can leave her alone for five minutes! – Vitani uttered with irritation, trying hard not to yell at him. – Now _come on_!

His sister dragged Kovu to a nearby baobab tree. Behind its huge trunk they were invisible to the rest of the pride, and Vitani estimated that there's enough privacy for them there. She'd been waiting for the right moment for a very long time, and this time she would not let the opportunity slip out of her grasp.

-Okay, what's the matter? – asked the lion when she finally let him go. She didn't look pleased, what startled him a bit.

- _What's the matter_? What kind of a question is that? Am I your sister or not? I've been trying to speak to you for weeks, and you always have some business with Kiara or Simba that makes it impossible.

Kovu looked at her awkwardly.

-Well, Kiara's my mate now, and…

-You think I don't _know_ that? That doesn't mean you two can't live without each other, or forget that you have a _family_. And besides, you've been spending more time with Simba lately than you do with your mate. Fact is you're avoiding me. You're avoiding everyone from our old pride, aren't you? You think I don't notice these things? I've been watching you…

-Yes, Vitani. – Kovu interrupted her and sighed. – I'm sorry about that. Yes, I admit, I have been avoiding you guys, and I have my reasons.

For a short moment, Vitani had the feeling that her doubts about this whole situation were about to be confirmed. But she needed to hear it in order to be sure.

-Huh? What do you mean by that? – she inquired.

Kovu looked as if he was caught red-handed, but he didn't cringe as he had when they were cubs in the Outlands. Instead, he smiled.

-Well, me and Simba have been talking about… things. But promise me you won't tell anyone! This is a very important, secret matter of state…

\- … _an important, secret matter of state_? – she repeated, mocking him. – Uh, Kovu, spending so much time around Simba even made you _sound_ like him! Okay, I'm all ears. What is this important matter of state? I promise I won't tell anyone.

-Simba wants me to become his heir – Kovu spoke the words quickly, as if he wanted to get rid of something that caused him great trouble.

For a moment, there was silence. At first Vitani thought Kovu was pulling her leg. Had Simba changed his mind so radically and so suddenly about her brother to trust this former enemy with not only his daughter, but also with his whole kingdom? Was it even possible, after all what happened? This would mean that all of her doubts were only her imagination, and that the two prides once at war with each other have truly become one. So why did she still feel it was too good to be true?

-What did you…? Let me get this straight. Simba told you that, when he dies, he wants _you_ , _Scar's heir,_ to become king of the Pridelands. Is that right?

Kovu breathed heavily.

-Listen Vitani, I know it's hard to believe and I really don't feel like I have what it takes to…

- _Is that right_? – she repeated impatiently.

Her brother gazed at the ground and said:

-Yeah. That's what he said.

Kovu didn't feel like laughing at all, but as soon as he finished speaking, his sister burst out in an explosion of laughter that made her roll on the ground. It took some time for her to calm down.

-You… Kovu… King of the Pridelands…! - she exclaimed chuckling, amused by the paradox of the situation. – Imagine what mother would have said!

Her brother was still staring at the dirt awkwardly, but he did smile a bit.

-Yeah, who would have known. I suppose I managed to get what she and Scar wanted for me, only that I did it peacefully, and not through bloodshed… I mean, we did that together, didn't we? That's good, right?

-Yeah, that's very good – Vitani grinned. – Just wait till the others hear… Oh wait, I remember- it's _an important, secret matter of state_.

-So, uh, you're not jealous, are you?

-Ha! Jealous, me? – his sister used his distraction to pounce at him and crush him with her weight. Then she said - I'm a female, idiot. I can't be king. You being king around here is all we could ever wish for. But that doesn't mean I'm not gonna be proud of kicking the king of the Pridelands' butt...

They began struggling. It was as if they were cubs again- in those few rare moments in the Outlands when they actually managed to find something to eat and Zira was asleep, when they could play together and feel like a normal pair of siblings. But after a while they heard other members of the pride waking up and they knew they better get going.

-So you admit I won, _your majesty_? – said Vitani with a smirk.

-No, I don't. We can call it a tie at most, and I'm not king yet so don't joke around like that too much!

-Don't sweat it, Kovu. Your secret is safe with me.

Her brother was almost about to walk to the other side of the baobab when he suddenly halted and turned around again.

-Oh, Vitani, I'm sorry. I've been talking about myself all the time and I forgot you had something to tell me. You've been looking a bit… sad lately. Is everything okay?

The lioness smiled.

-Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about that. After hearing the news you brought me, I'm sure everything's gonna be fine.

-Well, I'm glad to see that you finally learned how to smile! – he yelled at her, already running toward his mate and the others.

Vitani lagged behind for a bit. ' _Learned how to smile?_ ' – she thought. Had she not known how to do that before? Maybe not, at least not sincerely. But could she finally smile for real now, in these Pridelands? Today she started to believe that might be possible.

* * *

 **AN: We see that the consequences of Simba's Pride are, for the most part, good. At least for now... Vitani is seeing her pride basically flourishing before her very eyes. Simba has trusted Kovu well enough to make him the heir to the throne. But what about her? Is it possible for Zira's daughter to actually settle in the Pridelands and leave the horror of the past behind?**

 **We'll see about that.**


	4. The Gathering

**Chapter 4 – The Gathering**

Vitani had never seen anything like that before. When Simba announced that he was planning on calling all of the animals of the Pridelands to Pride Rock for a 'special gathering', she was sure that he was greatly exaggerating. Of course, _all_ of them couldn't possibly come!

The other thing was that she could not make herself believe that the herbivorous creatures, on whom lions usually preyed, would be stupid enough to actually come to the den of the largest lion pride around, even on their king's specific invitation. And even though Simba assured her that such meetings were days of peace among the many species of animals, and that everyone had the king's assurance of safety, she still had serious doubts about the possibility of anything like that happening. Sure, Simba had his weird little friends, a warthog and a meercat, living at Pride Rock all the time, but that was different.

How shocked Vitani was when, on the morning of the special day, throngs of herbivores and carnivores alike came from all around the kingdom and sat down in peace at the foot of Pride Rock, not doing any sort of harm to each others. In amazement she observed giraffes sitting next to cheetahs and wildebeests lying blissfully right beside packs of African wild dogs. She's never seen so many different animals at the same time, and she could hardly believe that so many of them even existed. It seemed that the Pridelands still had things to offer that could impress even her.

As Kovu's sister and the chief huntress, she had a spot reserved for her at the very top of the rock. From this position she could observe everything closely, even though it was kind of annoying to be sitting right next to Timon and Pumbaa…

Right now she watched as Rafiki, the old shaman, walked up to the king and was heartily greeted by him. These were very strange friends, if anyone asked her. While Simba was introducing the mandrill to Kovu, his weird pair of companions kept talking to each other aloud. And even though she would prefer them to shut up, Vitani noticed that they were actually expressing what she herself was thinking.

-Hey Timon! – the fat warthog asked the meercat, who was sitting on his back, in his deep bass. – Look, there's _that_ guy again. I didn't know they invited _him_! He gives me the creeps…

-Pumbaa, he's the shaman 'round here – answered Timon, while trying unsuccessfully to shoo away a fly that was circling around his head. – He's gotta be here, it's tradition. But you're right- he is kinda weird, I'll give ya that.

-How old do you think he is?

-Oh, I'd say… prooobably about… a hundred? Give or take.

Vitani listened to them for a little while, but when Timon caught the fly that was bothering him with his bare hands and was about to devour it, she thought she had enough.

-You two over there! Mind shutting up? The thing's about to begin.

The meercat was so shocked that a former Oulander spoke to him that he tripped and fell down from Pumbaa's back. The fly flew away with a loud buzz.

-Why, uh, yes ma'am, sorry to bother you… - the warthog attempted to apologize and wanted to walk away, but Timon stopped him and turned toward Vitani.

-Ey, you're Kovu's sister, aren't you?

-Yeah. And? – the lioness responded casually. Pumbaa made an awkward bow.

-Well then, you must know what this gig is all about – the smaller animal motioned with his hand, sweeping over all of Pride Rock. – Simba wouldn't tell us, but we just can't wait to know. We even started taking bets.

The warthog waved his head, gaining a little more courage.

-That's right! Most people say that we're here cause he's about to announce that Kiara is going to have a baby! Oh please, tell us if it's true!

Now both of them looked as if they were about to die of anticipation. Vitani laughed loudly.

- _Hahaha_! Who do you take me for? It's a secret that no one is allowed to reveal. If I told you that, I'd have to kill you.

Timon and Pumbaa looked at each other and gulped. The lioness kind of enjoyed the frightened looks on their faces, so she went on.

-Ah, what the heck. I'll tell you. We're all gonna have a huge feast today. Us lions, that is. When I give the signal to my lionesses, we'll pick the tastiest, juiciest treats from among all those animals over there who showed up today, and then we'll just eat until we burst. I really like that Simba is king, I really do. Just wait a couple of minutes and you'll see it all for yourselves!

While speaking, Vitani approached Timon and Pumbaa and lead them to the very edge of Pride Rock. Otherwise, they would have undoubtedly ran away. She was speaking sarcastically, but that didn't stop them from turning completely pale out of fear that she might actually be saying the truth. But scaring them did put a smile on her face. With a smirk, she left them alone and went back to her spot. The ceremony was almost about to begin.

Standing at the very tip of the rock, the king called for silence and the voices of thousands of animals suddenly died down. Everybody turned toward Simba, curious for what he had to say- especially Timon and Pumbaa. The whole event was held in the atmosphere of great mystery, and only a few members of the royal family knew what exactly was going on.

-My dear and loyal subjects – began the king, his mighty voice echoing over the land. – I'm sure that you are wondering why I called all of you to Pride Rock today. It has been an ancient custom for all the animals of the Pridelands to gather for most important events in the history of the kingdom, as the case is today. And I am proud that it is also today that I have this happy news to announce to you! Happy news for all of us!

Vitani noticed that the meercat and the warthog at her side were greatly relieved that what was to be announced were _happy_ news.

-Many of you know – Simba went on – that a while ago, after a devastating time of war, my pride has made peace with the ones previously known as Outlanders, and that we now live together in harmony as one pride. Many of you also know that the leader of that pride, Kovu, has become the mate of my daughter Kiara.

The king looked at the couple that was sitting together at his right with a smile. Vitani thought that her brother looked really happy. _He better not embarrass me now_ – she said to herself.

-Kovu has proved himself to be an excellent mate and hunter. He is a strong, intelligent and responsible lion. He has gained my full trust and helped me a lot in matters of the kingdom in recent days. He has also proved to be a fast learner…

 _Oh man, this is it_ – Vitani thought. – _Mother, father- are you watching?_

-… since you all know that I have no male heir, by my royal authority, in order to maintain the royal dynasty of my father Mufasa and my forefathers before him, I have decided to make Kovu my heir, to rule in my stead when I am gone – the king announced, beaming with pride.

The cheer that followed was deafening. But Vitani thought that the ones that cheered the loudest, louder even than the roaring lions, were Timon and Pumbaa, overjoyed that they weren't going to be eaten after all. She too could no longer hold herself in. Ecstatic, she screamed out her brother's name, just like everybody else.

It took Simba several minutes to calm everyone down. Finally, he was able to speak again:

-According to custom, the heir will now be officially anointed by the shaman. Rafiki, please- do your duty.

With a fair portion of amazement, Vitani observed as the mandrill performed his arcane rites, smearing her brother's forehead with some disgusting, oily substance. She wanted to tell him he looked like Nuka the time Zira squished a termite that was crawling on his head while he slept.

The moment came for the customary roar, so she lined up along with the rest of the pride. First came the king's roar, followed by that of his new heir. Then everybody else joined in. When the mighty sound of two dozen lion roars died down, everyone was joyful and ready to celebrate.

-And now, let's enjoy this happy day in honor of Kovu, heir of the Pridelands! – announced Simba.

-Yeah, let's party! – Vitani cried out absentmindedly and prepared herself to come up to her brother and congratulate him. And then she heard something weird.

The sound of the animals celebrating below was loud, but along with it came something even louder- and that other sound didn't have much to do with celebration. It was the sound of horrified prey about to be slaughtered by predators- something one might hear during a hunt, only much louder. All the lions on top of Pride Rock looked down in horror. Vitani was especially shocked seeing the former Outlander lionesses, her subordinates, as they suddenly attacked a bunch of herbivores. Simba looked especially outraged- he roared and screamed, ordering to make them stop, but it was too late. Most of the animals started running away in panic, and some carnivores, taking advantage of the chaos, joined the lionesses in their illegal slaughter.

Completely dumbfounded, Vitani turned her head away from the carnage below. Then she noticed Timon and Pumbaa were gazing straight at her, paralyzed.

-What do you think you're doing? – she said to them. – Run. Run away and hide, while you still have the time.

They did. She watched them as they escaped in panic, but not because she feared for their safety. She now felt Simba's gaze piercing her through like a spear.

* * *

 **AN: Oops. Guess no one saw that coming...**

 **I kind of wanted to see what an interaction of Vitani with Timon and Pumbaa would look like. They never talk with each other on screen. Well, this time it ended up pretty bad. Can Vitani get herself out of this mess somehow?**

 **Thanks for all your reviews!**


	5. Truth uncovered

**Chapter 5 – Truth uncovered**

All of the former Outlanders stood lined up at the foot of Pride Rock, just like they had done before, whenever Zira wanted to instruct her pride. Only that this time it wasn't Zira who was scolding them, but Vitani.

-I don't know _what's_ gotten into you guys – she spoke angrily, walking to and fro along the line of lionesses. – Simba gave all of us _specific_ orders not to harm _any_ of the animals that would come to the gathering. Is that so hard to understand? What are we- lions or hyenas, who can't keep themselves from spilling blood even for a day?

She gazed into her underlings' eyes, but all of them looked back at her passionlessly. Yes, it was true that they were all older than her. But she _was_ their boss.

-Simba invited us here – she went on – even though he didn't really have to. But when he did, we all agreed that we would follow _his_ rules. Those rules which you broke today.

Vitani sat down in the middle, in front of all of her lionesses.

-I want to know who initiated the attack – she ordered gravely. – One of you must have been the instigator and, sooner or later, I _will_ find out who that was. So might as well tell me now.

Consciously or not, she was trying to imitate Zira's way of speaking. She was trying to intimidate her subjects and make them confess. But, somehow, she noticed that no matter how much she tried, she didn't have as much influence on the pride as her mother did. After all, it was never her who was supposed to lead- it was Kovu.

After a moment of silence, Vitani noticed that one of the lionesses, Zira's cousin, an older female named Uzi, started smiling a bit. It was a malicious, sarcastic smile of audacity. _Of course, to them it was all just great fun_ \- she thought.

Without much hesitation, Vitani pounced with a growl and immediately had the old lioness pinned to the ground. But even though she put her paw on her throat, Uzi kept on smiling.

-You think this is _funny_? – Vitani roared in her face. – You think that now that we're in the Pridelands, you can do whatever you want? Well, you _can't_. And not because Simba is king here. No, you can't do whatever you want because _I'm_ the chief huntress! From now on, you will do _nothing_ unless _I_ give you specific permission, _understood_?

After all this time, was violence still the only language that the Outlanders understood? Maybe she was right after all- peace was only an illusion.

When Vitani pressed on Uzi's throat harder and harder with her clawed paw, the smile on the female's face disappeared. She obtained the effect she sought. But then Vitani felt somebody's paw on her own shoulder.

- _What?_ – she turned around, growling furiously.

To her great surprise, the one who stood behind her was Kovu. And he looked angry.

-Come with me, Vitani – he said. – _He_ wants to speak to you.

- _Uhh!_ – groaned the lioness. Reluctantly, she let Uzi go and stood up to face her brother. – Of course _he_ wants to speak to me. Let me guess, I'm to take all the blame for ruining his ceremony, right?

Kovu looked her in the eyes and frowned.

-For ruining _my_ ceremony.

That was surprising. Was Kovu really blaming her for the whole ordeal? Not wanting to discuss the matter in front of the huntresses, Vitani started walking toward Pride Rock. Only when they were out of sight did she speak to her brother.

-You know I have nothing to do with this, don't you? – she inquired.

Kovu was still looking as if he was mad with her.

-That's not what Simba says. And besides, there were witnesses who said…

- _Witnesses_? – the words made Vitani stop and almost burst out laughing. – What, you mean that meercat and his warthog friend? C'mon, I was only joking, it was just a stupid coincidence! Who are you gonna believe, _them_ or your sister?

Kovu gave her a long, meditative look. Somewhere inside, he wanted to believe her. But he wasn't sure yet.

-The king will deliver the verdict, there's nothing I can do anyway. Best just keep on moving and get it over with.

-Yeah, that's for sure – she said as they started walking again. – I just want you to know, I had nothing to do with it.

When they were on top of Pride Rock, Vitani saw that all of the Pridelander lionesses were gathered in front of the entrance to the cave. _Judging by their looks, they've already sentenced me_ – she thought to herself. There Kovu stopped and turned to her again.

-Simba's in there with Nala. He wants to talk to you in private.

-Yeah, well at least he won't yell at me in front of everybody – Vitani joked, but her brother did not seem amused.

Kovu joined Kiara at the entrance to the den. Now everyone was encouraging her to go in with the look of their eyes.

 _Oh boy_ – she thought as she walked. – _And all of this for what? Thirteen slaughtered antelope, one giraffe, five wildebeests and an old buffalo that wasn't even that good. Big deal. But the royal celebration was ruined- and so was the dignity of the great king of the Pridelands. Oh, and here he is- stern as ever. And her… What's_ _ **she**_ _doing here?_

Vitani stood in front of the royal couple, made the customary bow, and sat down on the stony pavement where she had been born over three years earlier. Simba gazed at her with fire in his eyes.

-Do you know what you are accused of? – he asked in a voice far too loud for the distance that separated them. The echo struck Vitani's ears.

-I'm accused of telling my lionesses to attack the animals at the gathering. I can understand this much. But…

- _Silence!_ – yelled the king. Vitani lowered her head in fake submission, but she was angry inside. The only compassion she could see was in Nala's eyes, and that she despised. – You don't understand half of what you've done. I permitted you to live here, eat our food and drink our water, and this is how you repay me? All of my subjects were gathered here today, and all of them had my promise that they would be safe- just as they had countless times before. The gathering is an honored tradition for us, and has been for generations. When somebody attacked another animal during such an occasion, it's as if the king did that himself. We live according to a balanced order here, I thought you understood that when I allowed you to live in my kingdom. I was wrong. Today, you shattered that order with what you did.

 _It's all about his royal honor, as it always is_ – she said to herself in her heart. But that wasn't what she said.

-Does it even matter to you that I didn't do it, _your majesty_? Don't you wanna show everyone what good a king you are by punishing those who are actually _guilty_? Just give me half an hour. I'll find those who triggered the attack and…

- _You_ triggered the attack – Simba uttered through clenched fangs. He was now seriously enraged. – I heard what you said- that all you had to do was give the signal, and this would all change into a great feast. For lions only.

- _Puh_! – the accused lioness snorted. – Timon and Pumbaa told you that, right? Those half-wits can't tell a joke from reality…

This time Simba couldn't hold himself in anymore. With a vicious roar, he charged at Vitani and she thought he would attack. She would fight back, of course, but even though she was a skilled huntress, the king was still significantly larger than her. And seeing his sharp teeth right in front of her face raised even the hair on her back.

Vitani took a few steps away from the furious Simba and looked at him closely, ready for anything. Fortunately for both of them, he did not advance.

-My father's law will prevail – announced the king. – For the crime you have committed, I will offer you the same punishment that I did to Scar, here at Pride Rock.

-What, are you gonna throw me to the hyenas? – the lioness said, panting.

- _Quiet_! You will not speak to me unless I permit you to speak, understood? Vitani, for the crime of disobeying your king, I hereby sentence you to exile. You will leave Pride Rock before sundown, and you will never return to the Pridelands again.

The sentence came faster than she thought. Faster than she predicted even someone as rash as Simba would deliver it. But there it was- after just a few weeks of living in the Pridelands, the place where she was born and where she tried to return for most of her life, she was now to be banished again. And that for no crime of her own.

The paradox of the moment made her laugh. Of course, seeing such a reaction, Simba was dumbfounded. Vitani wanted to speak before he yells at her again, but then something quite surprising happened.

Nala entered the scene.

-Simba, wait – the queen said in her silky tone. Her mate turned around and gazed at her in astonishment while she sat at his side.

 _Oh great- what does_ _ **she**_ _want?_ – thought Vitani. – _She can't possibly sweet-talk me outa this mess, not anymore._

But, for some reason, Nala did try.

-Simba, please, listen to me. You can't just exile Vitani from the Pridelands…

The queen spoke silently, as if she was ashamed of the words which came out of her mouth. That made Vitani even more angry. _Why doesn't she just mind her own business?_

-What do you mean, Nala? – the king asked with a frown. – Vitani is guilty, she must face the consequences…

-No, that's not what I'm talking about. Vitani is one of us now. A member of the pride. She's our flesh and blood. You can't just…

Simba didn't like what his mate was saying. His eyes lit up with genuine anger again- and Vitani didn't remember ever seeing him so angry with his beloved queen.

-Vitani is a _traitor_! – he burst out. – She is _not_ one of us. She never was. She is the daughter of two murderers, you know that. She has proved to be so with her own acts. There is no place for her here.

 _Well Simba, is that what you've been thinking about me all along?_ – Vitani laughed internally. – _Do you think the same about all of us Outlanders? And what about your own son-in-law, your new_ _ **heir**_ _? Are you gonna exile him, too?_

Somehow, the king's harsh words made Nala more sad than the lioness he was addressing. The queen turned her face away from him and looked as if she was about to start crying…

And that made Vitani understand what was going on in the Nala's mind.

 _No. No, no, no! You can't tell him! You_ _ **cannot**_ _tell him!_

The queen looked Vitani in the eyes. In those sky-blue eyes that were so similar to her own, now filled with the strongest possible objection. Those eyes that were screaming- _don't do it. You can't say what you are about to say._

-Simba… - Nala choked, looking her astonished mate in the eyes. – Listen to me. Vitani is _not_ the daughter of murderers. Well, at least _one_ of her parents isn't who everyone thinks…

-Nala, _no_! – the young lioness couldn't stand this anymore. At this point she was close to crying herself on one side, and on the other she was thinking of ripping Nala's throat before she would be able to reveal the truth. But her heart pounded like never before and she was unable to move. – You _can't_ , Nala. _Stop it_!

The king had enough of all of it as well. Not paying attention to Vitani, he looked straight at his mate, demanding an explanation.

-What is it, Nala? What are you trying to tell me?

The queen took a deep breath. Tears flowed down her face. She was uncovering something she'd buried a long time ago- and for a reason.

-Vitani is not Zira's daughter – she spoke as her voice shook. – She is _my_ daughter.

Something broke. Something in the air around them, like a sudden vacuum that engulfed all of them and left them speechless. Vitani didn't even see Simba's reaction, all she saw was darkness. _Well, cat's out of the bag now_ – she thought, and couldn't even feel angry anymore from the shock, even though she wanted to.

Then Vitani heard Simba's voice. It was much quieter than before. There was no anger in it as well. Only pain.

-How… how is that possible?

Sobbing and shaking all over, Nala started explaining her sad secret to her mate just as she had done all that time ago to Vitani- her unwanted daughter. Her crying made the queen's words barely understandable.

-It happened during Scar's reign… I never thought it would be like this, believe me. He wanted to have a male heir, but since neither of the lionesses would become his mate, he decided to take one for himself… He said he liked me best. I was the youngest, and the weakest. I resisted, but then he beat me, and… After I gave birth, I ran away. Then Scar gave Vitani to Zira, who was herself pregnant with Kovu. Oh Simba, I'm so sorry… I should have told you earlier, but I just couldn't…

 _Nala… mother… what are you doing?_ – Vitani said to herself in astonishment. _– Are you trying to… save me from exile? And what will your mate, the king, say about_ _ **that**_ _? Go on Simba- take her into your arms. Can't you see how much she's suffering?_

But Simba did not take anyone in his arms. It was just him sitting there, along with two devastated lionesses. His face was grave and stone-cold.

-Vitani – he said finally, after a long silence. – Under such circumstances, you understand that I must withhold my judgment. Leave me with my mate. I need to speak to her in private.

His voice was shaking, but whether it was from anger or sorrow- Vitani couldn't tell anymore. With her head hung down low, she turned around and started walking toward the exit. Then the king spoke to her again.

-Vitani. Meet me at midnight, alone. Come to Scar's Den. I will be waiting there for you.

 _Scar's Den?_ – she thought. – _Of all the places, why there?_

She left, and she didn't speak to anyone until midnight.


	6. The Foster Mother

**AN: Surprise, surprise!**

 **So yes, in the last chapter we have witnessed one of the Pridelands' secrets being revealed- that Vitani is in fact not Zira's biological daughter, but Nala's. And even though, as we can see in chapter 1, how that came to be was extremely painful to Nala, still she decided to uncover the truth before Simba in order to save Vitani's butt. How nice of her!**

 **This theory is not completely unlikely. Many fans remember the encounter between Vitani and Nala in TLK:SP, which wasn't very friendly, and upon the vague words which were then spoken (and the scene from the musical in which Scar tries to make Nala his mate) they base their speculations that the two are actually mother and daughter.**

 **So now we know that, but there's much more to be revealed. I greatly thank you for all the reviews, and I promise I will be using the quotation marks from now on XD**

* * *

 **Chapter 6 – The Foster Mother**

 ***** Three years earlier *****

The dark shape of a male lion appeared at the entrance to the den. As he approached, becoming more and more visible, his appearance did not become any brighter. It was a black lion with a black soul, as they said.

And now he has become a father.

He stood in front of Sarabi and looked down at her.

-'I heard Vitani has opened her eyes' - he said dryly. – 'Is that true'?

-'See for yourself' - the old lioness forced a smile and moved her paw away, revealing a tiny little girl lion cub.

 _He cares for her_ \- she thought with relief. When Sarabi called for Scar to come witness his daughter looking at the world for the first time, she did it as a form of a test. She knew their king would very much prefer to have a son... But what did he feel for Vitani? Would he really throw her to the hyenas when nobody watched, as some dared to speculate? Or did he have in his cold heart at least enough love to care for his own flesh and blood?

Vitani opened her tiny, blue eyes and blinked, blinded by the sun. Then she curiously gazed at her father, who was crouching in order to be able to watch her closely, stretched out her little arm and put her paw on his nose.

The old king smiled.

-'Hello there, my little princess' - he said to his daughter. Then he lifted his head and looked at Sarabi, her nanny. – 'She has her mother's eyes. And her fur color, only a bit darker. She will be a very beautiful royal lioness one day'.

-'Yes, she will' - Sarabi said, greatly relieved. _He loves her! He won't reject his daughter! Oh, I just hope the drought ends soon, and everything might just turn out fine..._

Scar stooped down again and lifted his daughter gently. Turning around, he went pass the lionesses from his pride who observed the father and daughter, smiling. For the first time since Mufasa and Simba's tragic death, some light has entered the stone walls of their lair.

The king halted in front of one of the females, one that was lying apart from all the others. Vitani's mother.

Nala didn't even look at Scar when he put their daughter on the ground beside her.

-'Feed her' - he ordered.

The young lioness obeyed passively, turning around so as to give the cub free access to the milk. Scar observed the scene for a while, but what was going through his head was impossible to determine from his blank expression. Then, suddenly, he turned to his pride and said:

-'Everybody out'.

Sarabi's heart shook when she heard those words. _Oh no, does he want to be left alone with Nala again?_ \- she thought. She just hoped he wouldn't scream at her or hit her in Vitani's presence... But she couldn't do anything about it one way or the other. She had to obey.

Left alone with his mate and daughter, Scar lied down on the floor and stretched comfortably. For some time, he went on observing the mother feeding the cub, though Nala herself didn't move or look at him at all. Finally, the lion arose, and while walking around the cave, he said:

-'Nala, Nala. My sweet, beautiful mate. Do you think I'm mad with you for giving me a daughter instead of a son?'

His voice was gentle, as if he wanted to apologize to her or something, but still somehow she knew it was just for show. She could see it in his eyes when he gazed at her. She turned her face away in fear and disgust, which he didn't like very much.

-'I asked you _a question_!' – Scar yelled, making her cringe and almost ready herself for getting beaten again. Reluctantly, Nala turned her sad eyes toward her king.

-'I don't know' – she answered honestly. Until recently she thought he did hate her, but seeing how Scar had been treating Vitani for the past couple of days, she felt confused and unsure.

A smirk appeared on the lion's face that looked almost like a real smile.

-'Oh Nala. You don't know? Has my behavior made you hesitant about that? If that is so, please forgive me'.

He lied down near her, forcing himself to be as close as possible. Nala really wished she could move away, but she knew what would happen if she dared to try. Scar now held both her and Vitani in his embrace- and she knew she was in his power.

-'The truth is I'm very happy with Vitani' – he continued, gazing at the cub which had just finished eating and was now peacefully asleep by her parents' side. – 'And with you, for that matter. Don't worry, Nala. We have all the time we need. We'll still have a male cub together… and maybe many more'.

He sounded as if he wanted to be nice, but she knew perfectly he was saying that to hurt her. She didn't smile back at him and was greatly relieved when he finally released her and got up from the floor.

-'I expect you to take good care of Vitani' – said Scar while heading toward the exit to the cave. – 'Your wellbeing depends on it, I hope you remember that'.

When his dark shadow finally vanished in the distance, Nala breathed with relief. She looked at the cub by her side. _My wellbeing depends on her_ – she thought with resignation.

And then, for a brief moment, a very wicked thought appeared in her mind. A thought of revenge. What would Scar do if he found his precious daughter torn to pieces? She could almost see the anger in his eyes, and she almost wished she could see in for real…

But then she looked at Vitani again. Her daughter was sleeping calmly, oblivious of all the evil in the world, so small and vulnerable. _No. Sarabi's right. The cub is innocent…_

With a sigh, Nala made her way to the other corner of the den. She was very lonely here, having to look after the cub while the others were away hunting. She wanted to speak to her mother, or Sarabi, or anyone. But everyone was gone. Everyone except _him_. And she knew that, eventually, _he_ would come to her again to take what he wanted from her… _We'll still have a male cub together…_ _and maybe many more_ – he said. She was to become a tool in the hands of the tyrant, used only to provide him with more sons and daughters- little versions of himself.

Tears came almost unnoticed, as they often have. She was now used to crying, but she knew that, no matter how many cubs she had, she would never, _ever_ get used to such a lifestyle.

No, she couldn't live like this all her life. It wasn't meant to be this way! Thoughts and memories invaded her mind which she always tried to run away from because they caused too much pain- thought of things that have been lost a long time ago, forever. Thoughts of Simba, her friend and her betrothed… She used to dislike the idea of marrying him, but now, compared to her present situation…

No. It was just too much. She couldn't live like this. There had to be a way. Oh, if only Simba was alive!

And then, suddenly, a certain thought appeared that made her wonder. A sudden flash of something she almost forgot existed- hope. After all, Scar was old… And out there, in the savanna, there were many young rogue lions who were just waiting for the opportunity to scare some senile male away and seize control of a pride of their own…

Oh, why didn't she think of that earlier! It would have been so much easier at the very beginning, when she wasn't Scar's mate yet and when he didn't have those fanatic alien lionesses at his side… Then again, there were the hyenas, too. But maybe, if she left, she would eventually be able to find some sort of a solution? She had to at least try. She just had to.

Nala remembered that, when she was a cub, Simba and her would sometimes sneak out of Pride Rock using a tight passage in between the rocks at the back of the cave. Later Mufasa forbade anyone from using it, but perhaps, with a little luck, she would still be able to get out that way…

She stood in front of the tight crack and was almost ready to try to squeeze through it. Then she turned around, looking at the cub that was still sleeping on the floor.

Scar told her to take care of her daughter… But she hated Scar. So he can take care of his cub by himself from now on!

Then a last, desperate thought held her back, a thought of everyone that she loved, whom she was about to leave behind- Sarafina, Sarabi…

 _Oh, I'll be back, everyone. I'm doing this for you. I swear that, somehow, I'll find help…_

* * *

Later that evening, Vitani was woken up by her father's angry roar.

Infuriated by his mate's absence, Scar summoned his pride and demanded explanations. But no one was able to provide him with any information at all. The king promised he would punish anyone who knew anything about Nala's plan of escape, and then sent out lionesses, hyenas and even Zazu to look for her.

Finally, Sarabi asked him what would happen to his daughter.

-'What do you _think_ will happen?' – he snapped back at her, thundering with rage. – 'Nala abandoned her own daughter even though she knew she was the only one who could feed her. Such a tender mother! I might as well take Vitani to the watering hole and throw her in. At least I'll spare her the suffering…'

Sarabi's heart shook. This was just too terrible too think about!

-'No, Scar! You can't be serious about this!' – she gasped in complete shock.

The king bowed his head down and breathed deeply. When he lifted it up again, he no longer looked furious, but rather very sad. That surprised the old lioness. How could his mood change so rapidly? And what was really going on in this strange lion's heart?

-'Of course I'm not being serious. Do you really think I would kill my own cub?'

From the way he looked at her, Sarabi felt that he demanded an answer. But she didn't know what to say- even though she'd known him since they were cubs, she was completely speechless. A great fear appeared in her heart. When she saw that Scar took Vitani in his teeth and started to walk away, she wanted to stop him. But could he really be such a monster? No. He loved his daughter- she was at least sure of that.

Sarabi followed Scar with serious concern in her heart and saw that he first took Vitani to the foot of Pride Rock, and then east. By a small rocky formation nearby, a group of lionesses was staying- recent arrivals in the Pridelands. Rumor had it that they had killed their leader and moved from wherever they came from because of a drought that devastated the land. In spite of his pride's objection, Scar welcomed them in his own kingdom, and the grateful lionesses were now greatly devoted to him. Sarabi had no idea why the king was taking his daughter to those wild, violent beasts…

She passed the alien lionesses as she followed Scar, not paying attention to their angry looks. She was herself against them staying in the Pridelands because she feared there wouldn't be enough food for both prides plus the hyenas, so she didn't expect them to show her any kind of kindness. But still, what about Vitani?

The king demanded to be taken to the group's leader, and the lionesses took him to a skinny, worn-out female that was lying on the ground half-asleep, with a sickly, miserably looking male cub by her side. When Sarabi saw her, she was amazed to see that the female was visibly pregnant. It couldn't have been Scar's doing, though- it must have happened before their arrival. That made her understand why those lionesses sought asylum in the Pridelands.

 _Of course –_ she said to herself. – _With them having no place to go, no male to protect them and their leader about to give birth, they were desperate. Scar's offer was of great benefit for both sides. Now he has a second army that's fanatically faithful to him… But why did they leave in the first place? What would make a pregnant lioness with a small cub travel this far?_

-'Zira' – said the king, after putting his daughter gently on the ground.

The group's leader moved a bit and groaned, what woke her son up as well. Seeing the huge, black-maned lion in front of him, the poor thing jumped back with a yelp and hid behind his mother's back. _He's all skin and bones_ \- Sarabi thought with compassion.

Zira opened her eyes and blinked to get used to the light. When she was able to see who was standing in front of him, she smiled.

-'Nuka, you have no need to be afraid. Look- our king is here! Welcome, your majesty! Forgive me for not standing up, but I'm afraid I'm unable to do that right now…'

-'That's all right, Zira' – answered the king, visibly impatient.

-'So, what brings you to us this evening, sire?' – asked the pregnant lioness. Sarabi had the feeling that, since she had been sleeping, the alien leader had no idea about what had happened at Pride Rock.

Scar stood beside the lioness and touched her swollen belly.

-'How much time have you got?' – he inquired.

-'Oh, maybe a day, maybe a week. No one can tell, really. Soon, I believe'.

-'Good' – answered the king. Then he turned around, picked Vitani up from the ground and put her right in front of Zira's face. – 'You'll feed my daughter, then'.

Sarabi didn't like that idea. _Zira isn't from our pride_ – she thought in her heart. Somehow, she couldn't trust her. – _Well, but then again, if she doesn't, little Vitani will die…_

The pregnant female looked into the startled cub's blue eyes, smiling.

-'The princess is just lovely! But… forgive me for asking, your highness. What happened to your mate? Is she sick?'

Scar looked away with anger.

-'She's gone. She left without permission. Many are looking for her…'

-'… but what if they don't find her?' – Zira interrupted him. She was sounding very suspiciously, at least in Sarabi's opinion.

The king gave her a closer look.

-'Feed my daughter if you want to stay here. That's enough for now'.

He turned around and started walking back to Pride Rock, leaving Vitani behind. Sarabi observed as Zira encouraged the cub to approach. At first she was hesitant of the unfamiliar lioness, but finally, slowly and very carefully, step by step, she came over to her side. All the foreign females observed the scene in silent delight. Only Sarabi still had serious doubts if this would really be the beginning of a better future for poor Vitani.

* * *

 **AN: The flashback shows us just how hard it was for Nala to live under Scar's tyranny. It became so bad that, sadly, she decided to abandon her own cub, even if it was also Scar's daughter. So we understand why she wanted to keep it a secret as best she could, and the tension of having to confess to Simba.**

 **Here Zira enters the stage. With Nala gone, Scar, who cares for his daughter unlike the mate he took for himself by force, had to figure out a way to save Vitani's life. And lion cubs can't eat meat until they're a couple months old. In my story, Scar recently welcomed into his kingdom a rogue band of starving lionesses- Zira's pack. Since she herself is also pregnant with their former leader (which explains how Kovu's not Scar's son), she badly needed a place to stay, and when they came to the Pridelands, she asked king Scar for help. I'd say that he must have been reluctant at first, and took them in only because he thought a band of grateful lionesses might provide him with some extra protection along with the hyenas.**

 **But now Scar has a problem himself. Vitani is alone, and none of the females from Pride Rock can feed her. But Zira isn't far away, and since she's pregnant, she has the milk to feed both Vitani and Kovu… So she becomes Scar's daughter's stepmother, and the connection between the two villains is established.**

 **The crisis seems to have ended, for now. But we still have to answer one question- what will Simba do?**


	7. The Promise

**Chapter 7 – The Promise**

Two little hairballs- a dark brown one and a pale tan one- were sleeping peacefully by Zira's side, their bellies full of her milk. One of them was her newborn son, and the other- Vitani, the daughter of king Scar. Her father stood close by, observing both cubs intensively, smiling with content.

-'Have I done well, your majesty?' – the mother spoke weakly, still exhausted from her delivery and the heat. She was lying in the shade of the bushes by the watering hole where she and her lionesses recently moved so that Zira and the cubs could stay close to what was left of the kingdom's reserve of water.

Scar didn't answer at first, buried in his meditations. Then, finally, he noticed that Zira was waiting for him to speak and redirected his sight from the cubs.

-'What? Yes, of course you've done well. I just hope you have enough milk to feed both of them.'

Zira nodded, closed her eyes and put her head back on the dry ground. Her older son, Nuka, peeked out from behind her back and then quickly hid his head again when he met with the king's gaze. _That timid little rodent_ – Scar thought to himself. – _I doubt he will survive this drought. Well, more food for the rest of us._

-'Has your pride brought you anything to eat?' – Scar asked Zira. She opened her eyes a bit and whispered, half-asleep.

-'Yes. Everything's all right, your majesty. I just hope the rain will come soon…'

The king looked at the blazing sun gloomily.

-'They will, Zira. They will. And by the way- I want you to stop addressing me as _your majesty_ all the time. You can show your devotion in different ways. Call me Scar.'

The lioness lifted herself up a bit and smiled.

-'Why thank you _Scar_. I like your name a lot. In fact, would you like to know how I plan to name my son?'

The king took a look at the tiny ball of brown hair which laid next to his daughter.

-'I haven't a clue. I doubt it will be your former mate's name, _hm_?'

They shared a communicative grin. Zira laughed even though she was extremely tired.

-' _Ha-ha_. No, my idea was different. I was actually thinking of naming him _Kovu_. What do you think, _Scar_? Does the king of the Pridelands approve?'

Scar almost burst out laughing. _Of course- Kovu means scar. Everything is going according to plan…_

-' _Kovu_?' – he asked with pretended surprise. – 'Why Kovu? That is basically like naming your cub after me.'

Zira did not cease to bare her fangs in a wide grin.

-'Exactly! Just a small sign of my gratitude, your ma… I mean, _Scar_.'

 _What delight she takes in merely pronouncing my name –_ the king thought to himself. – _Dear Zira, it seems that there is a bright future for you in the Pridelands._

Then he looked at the cubs again.

-'Very well. I approve of the name. As long as you promise me to treat Vitani and Kovu as equals. As your own cubs- and mine.'

Scar didn't look back at her, but he could hear in her voice that she was pleased- and that, above all, she would obey.

-'You have my word, Scar.'

-'Good, then! Rest now, all three of you. I will come check on you tomorrow. Send a lioness to me immediately if you need anything.'

Zira said her goodbye and went back to sleep. The king could now walk back to Pride Rock, and as he passed by his faithful soldiers from Zira's pride, he delighted in watching them bowing their heads. After all, he deserved their reverence- he basically saved their lives. They were an army more worthy of him, unlike that stinky mob of hyenas…

When Scar departed from the presence of the lionesses, he went to the watering hole where Shenzi, Banzai and Ed were supposed to be waiting for him. None of the hyenas would go anywhere near Zira's pride- not only that he himself forbade it to keep Vitani away from them, but also because the hyenas were scared to death of the ferocious rogue females. One more reason to keep them around.

When the king arrived at the spot, he sighed with disappointment. Only Shenzi was keeping watch as her two friends were rolling in the mud, but that was nothing compared to the amount of water they had left.

-'Ey. You were gone a long time' – the female hyena greeted him as he sat by her side. – 'How's your kid?'

-'Vitani's fine, and so is Zira and her son. She decided to name him Kovu, in my honor.'

Shenzi made a peculiar grimace. It was usually a sign that she was thinking.

-' _Kovu_? What's that have to do with honoring anythin?'

-' _Kovu_ means _scar_ , Shenzi' – he said, rolling his eyes.

-'Oh. It does? Yeah, well I wouldn't know. Never were much of a linguist… Anyway, so what now? What ya gonna do when Vitani can eat meat finally? You ain't gonna just leave her with that Zira, are ya? I mean, you're gonna raise her yourself, right?'

Scar gave her one of his mysterious gazes of his green eyes. He usually looked like that when he had some sort of a plan.

-' _Of course_ I'm going to raise her myself. She is my daughter after all. But as for taking her away from Zira… I don't think that will be necessary.'

Shenzi looked at the lion closely, not paying attention that Banzai was calling her to help him as Ed was at this very moment winning in pinning him to the ground- or rather, to the mud.

-'Uh, what do you have in mind, boss?'

Scar smiled.

-'Zira has proved her unwavering loyalty to me. And since I am a kind ruler, I think she deserves a reward. Tomorrow I intend to tell her that after Vitani and Kovu are weaned, I will permit her and the rest of her lionesses to come live at Pride Rock.'

The hyena gulped. _But what 'bout us?_ – she thought.

-'Err… Wait just a minute, Scar, heh-heh… You gonna let _Zira_ raise your kid with her own, at _Pride Rock_? _And_ her lionesses with her? Scar, I don't know if you heard the rumors, but…'

-'Yes. I know Zira led a plot to murder her own mate and the father of her cubs before she came here. I know they are dangerous and that you pathetic hyenas are afraid of them. Which is precisely why I want to have them on my side. Don't you see, Shenzi? While Vitani is feeding on Zira's milk, Zira and her lionesses are feeding on my meat. She is loyal to me and that is why I intend to keep her at my side.'

The hyena's amazement grew with every word that came from the king's mouth.

-'But… isn't that basically like making her your…'

-'My mate. Yes, that is correct' – Scar finished the sentence for her, making her eyes go wide. – 'Any king needs a queen. And what about my former one? Have you been able to find Nala and forgot to tell me?'

Seriously worried by what she was hearing, Shenzi denied, shaking her head. Scar almost smiled seeing the stupid look on her face.

-'Furthermore' – he continued – 'what any king also needs is an heir to the throne. And since I can't make Vitani my heir, I will adopt Zira's son and take him in as my own. Thus he will become my heir.'

Shenzi sat there, mouth agape, trying to take all of this in and set it up in her mind.

-'Okay. Zira's gonna be your mate. I can _kinda_ see that. But you're tellin me you wanna make _Nuka_ your heir? I saw that kid, Scar. He can barely walk and personally I think…'

-'NO! Don't _think_ , Shenzi. Leave that to the experts. Have you completely lost your mind? I'm not going to make _him_ my heir- I doubt Nuka will survive until the full moon! It's Kovu I'm talking about. The one who bares my name. Is there anything at all in that skull of yours?'

-'Uh, but… Isn't Nuka older?'

-' _Yes_ , but who cares if he is? I'm naming an _adopted_ cub my heir, what is already a breach of the ancient law of the throne. Who gives a pound of rotting guts if he's not Zira's eldest son? Kovu is stronger, he has the right name, and I will make sure Zira does _everything_ to raise him to become my worthy successor. Do you understand?'

Shenzi waved her head forcefully, but Scar could see it in her eyes that she still had some doubts.

-'Well, what is it, then? Speak up. I rather have you address me openly than whisper behind my back'.

The hyena gulped again. They've had this conversation before and the results were always bad. And now with these new mouths to feed…

-'There ain't no food left, Scar. We barely had enough before you let Zira come here. Just look at the water hole- soon there won't even be any mud for Banzai and Ed to roll in…'

 _And then lions will have to learn to enjoy hyena meat_ – he thought to himself. But that was not what he said.

-'The rain will com, Shenzi. And as for the meat, you all just have to look harder.'

Scar got up and started walking toward Pride Rock.

-'Call for Banzai and Ed to get their butts out of that mud. And don't even let those idiots _think_ about washing themselves in our water supply! If they got themselves dirty as warthogs, it's their problem.' – then he turned around suddenly, almost making Shenzi trip, and continued in a whisper – 'And remember- all that you've heard today is a secret. No one can know about this, not even your two friends. I'll deliver the happy news to Zira tomorrow. Personally.'

* * *

 **AN: I know, I know. This chapter is another flashback, and it did not answer the question of what will Simba's reaction be to Nala being Vitani's mother. We will answer that in the next one, I promise.**

 **The flashbacks appear randomly, and they're not directly all about Vitani herself, but they will reveal to us her backstory which had a strong influence on who she eventually became. For now, I'm trying to figure out the complicated realtions between Scar and Zira in some logical way. Let me know how I did.**


	8. Two Skulls

**Chapter 8 – Two Skulls**

 ***** Three years later *****

Waiting for midnight to come, Vitani circled around Scar's Den at a distance probably about a dozen times. She realized she feared that place more than even what could potentially happen there tonight. But in spite of that, she had to go.

Slowly and hesitantly, she ascended the rocky formation with a heavy feeling in her chest. It was as if this place was a part of her, somehow- a part she wanted to get rid of.

When she noticed that Simba was already there, waiting for her in the darkness, she frowned. _Of course, he wouldn't be himself if he didn't try to emphasize his authority_ – she sighed upon seeing him, rolling her eyes.

The scene was bizarre if not disturbing. There he was, the king of the Pridelands, sitting against a tall stone wall with nothing but the light of the stars illuminating him. And right there at his side, there lay a disgusting snow-white skull of a lion.

Vitani knew that Scar's bones had been brought to her father's old den after he was killed. It was mostly for the purpose of getting the gruesome remains out of everyone's sight, but it definitely didn't get them out of everyone's mind. At least not hers- and that was mostly why Vitani had never visited this place, until now.

She sat down in front of Simba and the skull, looking at the king angrily.

 _Go on, let's get this stupid show over with_ – she said in her mind.

The lion gazed at her intensively for a while. Then he let the air out breathing deeply, and shook his head.

-'So you are my niece' – he began with a question – 'and my stepdaughter, as well?'

-'As weird as it sounds, it would appear so' – she answered with a sigh. – 'Doesn't seem you're too happy about that'.

The king erupted, a twitch of anger appearing on his face suddenly.

-'No, I'm not! How long have you known about it?'

-'Oh, Zira told me when I was old enough'.

-'It would have been better if you or Nala had told _me_ when it was early enough!'

-'Sorry 'bout that' – Vitani said, but not very honestly. – 'I'm sure she's sorry, too'.

Simba gazed at her with a bright flame of anger flashing from his brown eyes.

-'Oh, _she is_. You can be sure of that'.

Somehow, the lioness felt a pain in her heart that she couldn't quite recognize. It was like an old splinter that she hardly ever noticed anymore. Was she feeling sorry for herself having been rejected and unwanted by her mother, which was what Simba was trying to emphasize? Yes, but… that was weakness. Best just forget about it.

But was she also feeling sorry for Nala, and what Simba said to her for keeping this a secret from him…? Ah who cares, why should she have any compassion for her, anyway?

And even though she tried not to pay attention to it, the feeling was almost driving her mad. Although on the outside she acted like she didn't care.

-'Okay, Simba' – she uttered, impatiently. – 'I'm sick of this game, so let's just get on with it. Did Nala talk you into letting me stay, or not?'

The king's angry stare didn't change a bit.

-'Your disrespect isn't going to make things easier for you, Vitani. The case is more serious than you think'.

Then Simba stretched out his paw and put it on top of Scar's skull. That motion made the lioness look at the cursed thing, whether she liked it or not.

Vitani couldn't remember anything from the night her father died. She was too small. But gazing into the skull's empty sockets made her see all the scenes from Zira's stories- the fire at Pride Rock, the storm, the battle with the rebelling hyenas… And, most of all, the corpse they found at the bottom of the hill- mangled, half-eaten, with broken bones and burned fur… Her father's corpse. Vitani could clearly remember the rage in her mother's voice when she described the pool of her beloved's blood which she saw, and how she would take her revenge by spilling even more blood.

The lioness turned her eyes toward the king- the very one her mother blamed for Scar's death. Whom she had desired to murder for years.

-'Well then, go ahead. I'm listening' – she growled.

Simba cleared his throat, and without taking his paw off the skull, he began:

-'For many generations, the kings of the Pridelands have struggled to keep peace in the kingdom, to maintain balance in the circle of life. From time to time, someone attempts to destroy that balance. We have decided to fight the evil that appeared in the past years, and we succeeded. Now I will do _everything that's needed_ to keep such a state of affairs'.

Vitani listened to this boring introduction patiently. The king went on:

-'When I decided to admit you and the former Outlanders into my kingdom and my pride, it was only on the condition that you would _obey_ the rules of this land and not interfere into its natural balance. What happened during the gathering is only proof…'

-'… what happened during the gathering was _not my fault_!' – she interrupted him, unable to keep still any longer. – 'I told you already, it was…'

The roar she heard was so loud it must have woken everyone up at Pride Rock- or at least she thought so. All Vitani could do was to shut up and stare at Simba furiously.

-'I wasn't done speaking yet! As I mentioned before, you don't even know of what you're being accused. The gathering was just a single incident, but I know there is much more. And even if you did not lead the attack yourself, still it were the lionesses who were under _your_ command who disobeyed my orders and ruined the balance in the kingdom. See Vitani, I've been watching Kovu and you closely. And even though your brother was able to leave his past behind and fully adjust to _our_ way of life, I'm afraid that the same cannot be said about _you'_.

Simba was looking at her with in a haughty manner of accusation which was burning her like the hot African sun. She knew she had to defend herself somehow.

-'I turned against _my own mother_ to stop my pride from attacking you. She wanted to kill me for that, remember? I risked my life to end the war, and that was the reason why Zira lost her life. Did you forget about that so fast, _your majesty_?'

Vitani was by no means someone who would start crying easily. But remembering Zira made her inner feeling of sadness become so intensive she really had to try hard in order to camouflage it under the guise of anger. But still, Simba sensed that, and he was now about to use it to deliver his mightiest blow. After a moment of silence, he spoke very calmly:

-'Tell me again Vitani, who is your mother?'

The question hit her like a raging elephant, finding her completely unprepared. She wasn't even sure how to express the turmoil that was going on in her mind right now. Yes, it was Nala who gave birth to her, but Zira raised her for basically most of her life, taught her everything she knew… Looking Simba in his merciless eyes speechlessly, she said nothing.

-'You're not sure, are you? Well, allow me to answer for you…'

The king stood up from the ground and revealed that he was hiding something behind his back. It was only when he pushed it with his head that Vitani recognized that it was…

Another skull.

The lioness felt as if a ring of thorns suddenly tightened around her heart.

-'Is _this_ what you look for when you sneak out of Pride Rock at night?' – asked Simba in a terribly cold tone, as he positioned Zira's skull right next to the one that belonged to Scar. – 'There. The remains of your parents- together at last. It's too bad death is preventing them from enjoying each other's company'.

He gave her a look of vengeful malice that made her turn away from him. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she couldn't hold them anymore.

-'Why are you doing this?' – she whispered with a broken voice.

-'You still don't understand, do you, Vitani? To me, it isn't important if you're really Nala's daughter. To me it only matters that you are the spawn of Scar and Zira. Scar killed my father, and Zira started a war in order to kill me and my whole family. Whenever I look at you, I see _them._ I know that you're like them and that, deep inside, you want to follow their path. Don't you see? You are everything I ever hated. And that's why you have to go'.

Feeling the rage boiling within her again, Vitani wiped her tears away and stared straight into the two hollow pairs of sockets with which the skulls were looking back at her.

-'And still, you're letting Kovu and the others stay…'

-'Kovu is different' – Simba answered without hesitation. – 'He doesn't have Scar's blood in him and he was strong enough to withstand Zira's influence. He has gained my trust. Why else do you think I would let him marry my daughter and become my heir? I'm not a fool, Vitani. With you gone, I will make Kovu the chief hunter. He'll make sure that band of stubborn females learns how to obey the rules. He was meant to lead them anyway, wasn't he? And if they don't learn… well, then they'll just have to leave. As you do'.

 _Of course_ – thought Vitani. _You just want someone around whom you'll be able to manipulate more easily._

-'So you're exiling me?' – she asked instead.

Simba's look was cold, serious and implacable, and Vitani had the feeling he was trying hard to imitate his father again.

-'Isn't it obvious to you yet? I expect you to leave immediately'.

-'You won't even let me say goodbye to my family?'

The king turned his head toward the skulls.

-' _This_ is your family'.

The lioness stood up and growled. Simba answered with the same, but remained calm.

-'And what if I _don't_ want to go?' – asked the female, giving him signs she was _seriously_ angry. The king, however, seemed to be fully convinced that he had already won.

-'Then I will call for my lionesses' – he said calmly. – 'And we will put your skull right next to the ones of your parents'.

Simba smiled, and it made her limitlessly furious. But he was right. What could she do? Call the lionesses who until recently were under her own command? They wouldn't come. Not anymore.

She looked at Zira's skull one more time. Was she really wrong for betraying her mother? Was Zira right all along for hating Simba? And should she now atone for her errors by murdering the king before he's even able to call for his pride?

No. She had enough. She was too tired of all of this. _Kovu, you were wrong_ \- she thought. _I haven't learned how to smile here. And I doubt I ever will._

Then she turned around and ran as fast as she could.

* * *

 **AN: Oooh, darn it! Simba just seems to be enjoying exiling people, doesn't he? He can stand the former Outlanders in his kingdom, and even Kovu, who is easier to control than his foster sister. But Vitani is just too 'uncomfortable' for him, somewhat as she had been to Nala.**

 **So what will Vitani do? Will she just leave peacefully, or will she follow the path of revenge?**

 **Thank you for all reviews/favs!**


	9. Lingering

**AN: Wow. I see that some of you, dear readers, are really mad with ol' Simba for kicking Tani out of the Pridelands XD. Well, I can assure you she ain't too happy either, and she is thinking about revenge. Lets see what she does.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9 – Lingering**

In later years, Vitani could hardly recall the next two or three days after her exile from the Pridelands. All she could remember were bits and pieces, single flashes of memory. She remembered walking or running for an unknown amount of time in no set direction, until she was too tired to move. She remembered trying to fall asleep during the intense cold of a rainstorm. She remembered tearing an antelope she'd hunted limb from limb in a rage, and then abandoning it without even touching the meat… And most of all, she remembered her anger. The uncontrolled fury of being betrayed and abandoned. _Again_.

She couldn't recall when she made up her mind to go back. But she did remember lurking in the savannah of the Pridelands as she had done years before, observing the pride that lived there closely during their daily hunt, waiting for everyone to fall asleep and for Zazu to stop circling around over everyone's head… She didn't have a plan set up in her mind yet. She just wanted to see what would happen.

Vitani noticed that Kiara was on guard duty that day. Approaching her wouldn't be much of a challenge for her, if it weren't for the fact that not soon afterward the young lioness was joined by her mother. By _their_ mother.

She held a growl in her throat as she crouched in the tall grass. She wanted to hear the conversation of the two lionesses, find out if they felt any sort of remorse. Something else in her wanted them both dead. And so, as if by some strange magnetic power, she felt compelled to approach them.

The mother and daughter sat next to each other under a tree, facing the rest of the pride that slept further away. Vitani could see that they were talking, and she couldn't just jump out at both of them while they did that. So the found a twig on the ground and cracked it with her paw.

Even someone as inexperienced as Kiara heard that sound. Her and Nala turned around instantly, and the younger female stood up and came over to the thicket where Vitani had been hiding. But she found nothing there.

What she failed to notice was that by the time she was there, Vitani had moved through the grass and was now hidden at Kiara's side. Attacking her from the unprotected flank was then just a matter of a few rapid leaps.

Kiara hardly had the time to scream. Unlike Nala, toward whom Vitani immediately turned her head to silence her as she was forcing her daughter down with her paws.

-'Shut up! _Shut up_ I said! I'm warning you, if you wake the others, things are gonna get nasty!'

Hearing that, Kiara stopped struggling and Nala lowered her voice to a whisper.

-' _Vitani_! Please, let her go! We don't want to hurt you. Please, calm down!'

The furious attacked panted heavily, but still continued to pin the frightened Kiara to the ground.

-'Well, aren't you paying attention to what's going on around you during your guard shift, _my pretty sister_? Don't you know there's a dangerous rogue on the lose in your father's kingdom?' – she spoke as she touched Kiara's face with her clawed paw, observing the fear in her eyes.

-'That's enough, Vitani! Let her go! She didn't do anything' – Nala insisted.

Finally, the lioness restrained her embrace. Her half-sister, looking a bit embarrassed, stood beside their mother.

-'What are you doing here?' – she asked angrily. – 'If my father finds out that you came back, he's going to have you killed!'

Vitani laughed, cleaning off the dirt from her fur.

-'Oh _really_? And who's gonna execute the order? _You_? Or maybe my dear mother?'

She said that with a sarcastic tone, but the way Nala looked at her made her lose her smile. The old lioness was terribly hurt by her words, and the sorrow she saw in her eyes made her remember their first encounter that took place a long time ago, after Zira and her family were exiled to the Outlands…

After Kiara was born, Zira would send Vitani and her brothers to the Pridelands to spy on their enemies there and practice their skills in moving around stealthily. One time, when Vitani was there alone, in the distance she saw a lonely lioness guarding the rest of the pride after a hunt, just like on that day. To her surprise, she recognized Simba's mate- the very lioness that was supposed to be her mother…

Vitani had found out about the fact some time before that from Zira herself. For a long time after their exile, the Outlanders had been preparing for the first phase of their revenge- a war with the hyenas. Zira had been keeping it a secret from her cubs, but when one evening Vitani and Kovu were left in the termite mound with no one but Nuka watching them, they knew what was going on. And when the lionesses came back with scars and bruises, but extremely happy, they understood that the battle was won.

How surprised was Vitani when Zira woke her up that night and ordered to follow her without a word. She took her to the elephant Graveyard- a dreadful place where the hyenas had relocated after Scar's downfall. Vitani understood that the place had just witnessed a battle- in the rays of the rising sun, she could see hyena corpses scattered around, what made her understand that their enemies were taken by surprise. Many were killed, the others ran away- knowing that filled Vitani with pride.

There, among the corpses, Zira sat down with her and asked if Vitani knew why the hyenas needed to be destroyed. She answered that she vaguely understood that they had something to do with Scar's death, although Zira would never stop repeating that it was Simba who was to blame for that. Then Zira explained to her that, even though Simba was still personally guilty, it was through the treachery and the claws of the hyenas that Scar lost his life. Then Zira said that she took Vitani to the Elephant Graveyard so she could see the revenge herself. She deserved that, as she was Scar's daughter.

The fact did not surprise Vitani much at first. But then she asked- how can Scar be her father if he's not Kovu's father as well?

It was then that Zira revealed to her the truth about Nala. And she also said that this was precisely why she should be especially devoted to the next part of her mission- to kill Simba and take the throne away from him. And Vitani should do that not just because Simba threw Scar to the hyenas, but also because his mate, her real mother, had rejected her.

From that day Vitani hated Nala more than anyone in the world. Not just because she was abandoned after her birth, but also because Nala didn't say anything at all when Simba was exiling her own daughter to the Outlands. She always thought she would kill her the first time she saw her. But that was not what happened during that day when she was spying in the Pridelands…

When she first met Nala after her exile, she was still very young. Even despite that her mother was larger and probably stronger than her, she wanted to attack… But she just couldn't do it. And it wasn't because Zira's orders were different. It was something else.

When Nala noticed her presence, she came up to her slowly, assuring her that she was safe even though Vitani was growling at her. Of course, she didn't recognize her after such a long time.

-'You name is Nala, isn't it?' – she asked. And when the older female nodded, she said:

-'Well, my name is Vitani. In case you don't remember me.'

She could still remember Nala's shock when she said that. The lioness looked crushed, and sat there without a word as Vitani gazed at her in anger. Then she said:

-'Vitani… Do you know?'

Her furious stare should have been enough of an answer. But the abandoned daughter responded:

-'Yeah. I sure do.'

And then her devastated mother looked at her with such deep sadness that even Vitani's stony heart was moved by it. At that moment, Nala had realized something terrible she'd done- something she'd been carrying as a secret for a long time, and something she couldn't possibly change, no matter how hard she tried.

-'I'm so sorry, Vitani. I'm so sorry..' – she said, and started crying.

That was it. Vitani turned around and ran away from the Pridelands that day, not mentioning the situation that took place to Zira or anyone. For a long time, she let her own pain and anger cover up the compassion she felt after Nala's apology, even until she faced her on the battlefield, during the war of the two prides…

But now, after her second exile, she couldn't stay angry at Nala looking in the same blue eyes of hers and remembering how she defended her against Simba. She turned her head away and gazed at the dirt.

-'We're all very sorry that you had to leave the Pridelands' – Nala spoke with genuine compassion. – 'There's nothing we could do anymore when Simba…'

-' _Puh,_ Simba!' – Vitani interrupted her, saying the name with disgust. – 'Do you know what he said to me? He said that he doesn't care if I'm really your daughter, Nala. He said that, to him, I'm still the child of Scar and Zira- everything he ever hated. My dear, caring uncle- and your king!'

When both of them heard that, the two lionesses shared an outraged look. Even Kiara was greatly shocked by her father's words.

-'He shouldn't have said that!' – she stated.

-'Why? Don't you think the same? What am I to you, then, _sister_?' – Vitani snarled back at her. Kiara turned her head with concern.

-'No, Vitani. You're not like that. You're different than Scar and Zira…'

-'Am I? I tried to kill your mother just a few weeks ago, did you forget? Just as Zira tried to kill your father. And still…' – she stopped for a second. A question came to her mind that she had forgotten to ask before. – 'And still, you tried to rescue her! When Zira fell into the gorge, you were trying to pull her out. Why did you do that, Kiara?'

The atmosphere became really tense. It was only when Kiara came up to Vitani and put her paw on her shoulder that the weight of all that was going on was lifted a little.

-'Everyone deserves a chance, Vitani. Isn't that why you went out looking for Zira's body after she fell?'

 _Yes. I just hope your father would feel the same way_ – she thought to herself. – _But he never did, did he?_

-'Forget about it, then. There's nothing you can do anymore. I just came to say goodbye, anyway. How's… how's Kovu, by the way?'

Kiara and Nala looked at each other.

-'He told Simba he didn't like that he exiled you' – said the younger lioness – 'and most of the pride said the same thing. But even Kovu couldn't do anything to change Simba's mind, even though he's his heir. You know how stubborn my father is… Kovu's also the chief hunter now.'

-'Yeah, I know that. Make sure to tell him I want him to treat our huntresses the same way Zira did…' – Vitani said with indignation.

This time Nala came up to her and stretched out her paw with hesitation. But her daughter permitted her to touch her.

-'We can't pretend to understand all the pain you're feeling right now, Vitani. But we've been thinking. When Kovu takes his place and becomes king of the Pridelands, maybe then you could return to us? I'm sure he would welcome you. Of course, I'm probably going to be long dead by then…'

Vitani sighed and looked her in the eyes with sadness.

-'And what about me, mother? Who knows if I'll live long enough to see Kovu become king of the Pridelands…'

Nala lowered hear head. That was true. Nobody could be sure what would happen to Vitani when she's out alone in the African wilderness.

-'Where will you go?' – Kiara asked her.

-'Beats me' – the lioness shrugged. – 'It's not like I have anywhere else to go. One thing's for sure- I'm not going back to the stinking Outlands…'

An awkward silence followed, after which Vitani just stood up and said:

-'Tell my brother I said hi, even if he isn't my brother. I'll miss that old fleabag. Tell him I hope we'll still see each other someday.'

The two lionesses nodded. And after that there wasn't much to say anymore. With a heavy heart, Vitani was getting ready to walk back in between the tall grass and begin her exile from the Pridelands.

But then she remembered something.

-'Nala' – she said right before she vanished from their eyes.

-'Yes, Vitani?' – answered the lioness.

-'I, uh… I wanted to thank you for telling Simba that I'm really your daughter. I'm sure it wasn't easy…'

Nala smiled, and it seemed as if a great weight was lifted from her heart. Kiara also looked happy to hear that, despite everything. Right there, Vitani's mother and sister were the only ones to give her a proper farewell.

But Vitani couldn't answer with a smile. Not yet. All she could do was to turn around and start walking, carrying the weight of her memories with her.

* * *

 **AN: So we see three situations here. First, the aftermath of Vitani's exile. Then, a flashback of how she first met with Nala after she found out that she was her mother, and another, earlier one- from when Zira told her the truth.**

 **Now Vitani may have a choleric temperament, but she is way less prone to acting blindly than Zira. If she's going to avenge herself, it will not be by harming innocents. And since Nala had expressed remorse for how she treated her, that makes her innocent.**

 **Of course, there still remains the question of Simba...**


	10. Raindrops and Tears

**Chapter 10 – Raindrops and Tears**

 ***** Three years earlier *****

The lioness' name was Machozi, and she was Zira's second cousin. She had ashen fur, a scar on her hip, and was carrying a dead mongoose in her jaws.

Zira was very happy to see Machozi, or rather the food she brought. It was way past time for lunch, and she's been listening to the rumbling of her own stomach for hours.

-'You did well' – said Scar's mate as the huntress put the prey before her. – 'So there still is _something_ alive in the kingdom besides us.'

Machozi frowned, hearing those words.

-'I doubt it' – she said. – 'We actually caught this beyond the borders of the Pridelands, miles away from here. The land is dead, Zira. And soon, we will be, too…'

-'Do you dare doubt the wisdom of my mate, our benefactor?' – Zira scolded her. – 'Do you really think he would open his kingdom to us only to let us die here?'

When Machozi didn't answer, Zira concluded:

-'You are dismissed.'

The lioness left, and the mate of king Scar got up from the ground to stretch her bones. She took a look at the nearby dried up water hole… There was nothing in it now but dust. Then, with a great deal of concern, she turned her eyes toward the two cubs that laid by her side sleeping, but woke up when she moved. The tiny lions yawned and observed their mother curiously, with a silent request for nourishment which had not been sufficient for days.

Then something moved in the dry grass. Zira didn't pay it much attention, for she knew the reason of the commotion. It was Nuka, her oldest son- now looking like not much more than a skeleton covered with skin and patches of black hair. But that skeleton, upon seeing the dead mongoose, suddenly revealed that it still had some life left in it.

-'Oh _boy_!' – cried the cub, shaking and almost reduced to tears from joy. – 'Mom, it's meat! It's meat, _meat_ , MEAT! _Wahaha_! Please, oh please tell me it's not just a mirage…'

Zira almost started to think that Nuka was going insane from hunger. Now, with almost insane zeal, he threw himself at the prey and sunk his teeth into it, rolling over on the ground several times before he collapsed in a cloud of dust.

-' _Yummm_! It _is_ real! So… good… so… taaastyyy….'

His mother let him enjoy his meal in silence. But only for a little while. When she judged that Nuka had enough, she came over and picked up what was left of the carcass. But since Nuka still strongly held on to it with him fangs, he was left dangling in the air.

-'Let _go_! Leave some for the others!' – she ordered. Then she shook her paw, making her son drop to the ground.

-' _Ow_! ' – yelped the cub. – 'But _mom_ , I'm still hunnngryyy…'

Zira didn't care for his complaints. She took a small bite of meat herself and quickly swallowed it, then dropped the prey again.

-'Well… aren't you… aren't you gonna eat it?' – Nuka asked, looking back and forth from Zira to the meat, shaking and whimpering.

The lioness wasn't listening to him. Instead, she went over to Kovu and Vitani, picked them up, brought them over and put the cubs down by the mongoose.

-'W… what're you doing, mother?' – Nuka inquired, completely confused. – 'But they don't eat meat, right? They're too little…'

-'Silence, Nuka!' – Zira ordered him. – 'Come over here and observe. Perhaps today is the day your brother and sister will learn how to do that.'

Frightened yet obedient, the older cub sat down by his mother, observing the young ones. At first, Vitani and Kovu seemed hesitant, but then their natural instincts did the job. The male approached first and started nibbling the meat, and his foster sister soon followed. A wide grin appeared on Zira's face.

-'Excellent! My precious little things… Eat and grow strong!'

She was immensely happy and proud. Unfortunately, Nuka did not share her enthusiasm.

-'Oh _great_! Now we're gonna have to share everything with _them_ , right? Which means even less food for everyone…'

Zira growled at the whimpering, skinny cub and swung her paw at him in irritation. She missed, but the terrified Nuka tripped and fell on his back.

-'You _fool_! This is your brother and sister you're talking about! Kovu is supposed to become Scar's successor and Vitani is his daughter, which gives them a much greater right to the food than you will ever possess!'

Poor Nuka quivered and tried to move away from his mother's sharp claws and fangs, but then something hit his nose. The impact wasn't very strong and only scared him a bit, but it was surprisingly a very… _wet_ sensation.

-'Huh? What's that?' – Zira asked him.

-'I, I, I, I don't know!' – He stammered, touching his nose. – 'Am I… bleeding?'

But no, the liquid on his paw was not red- it didn't have any color at all. Nuka remembered that this was how water looked like. With a strange feeling in his heart, he raised his eyes toward the sky.

-'Mother, look!' – he yelled, making Zira look the same way.

The African sky, which had been immaculately blue and mercilessly hot for months, was now shrouded with a carpet grey storm clouds. The rain season was finally here. Zira and Nuka were so busy watching Kovu and Vitani eat that they failed to even notice that.

-'At last!' – gasped the lioness, breathing with relief. Then she grabbed Nuka and held him so tight that he didn't quite know if it was to punish him or to show him affection. – 'Do you know what this means? Now the herd will come back and we'll have enough food again! And with the cubs able to eat meat now, we can go live at Pride Rock just as Scar had promised! Oh, I just can't wait!'

The other lionesses arrived shortly. All were overjoyed, and soon everybody was showered by the heavy rain and marveled at the peals of thunder which lighted up the sky. Nuka was shaking with fear, as he had never seen a thunderstorm before, but his pride assured him that everything was going to be fine.

Soon Zira ordered everyone to head toward Pride Rock. An exultant procession was formed, with the leader at the head of the group, carrying Kovu in her mouth, and another lioness at her side who was carrying Vitani. The pride had not been this happy since they left their old abode in the east. The females could finally drink their fill on the way, using the many puddles that had already formed on the ground.

Then they heard a loud roar, coming from Pride Rock. It was masculine, but sounded vaguely unfamiliar.

-'Don't worry' – said Zira. – 'I'm sure it's Scar, announcing to everyone in his kingdom that the cursed drought is over!'

The other thing that stirred the lionesses' concern was the smoke they saw in the horizon.

-'Zira, it looks like Pride Rock is on fire!' – one of the females noticed.

-'Oh, nonsense! Lighting must have ignited the dry grass. The rain will quench the flames in a matter of minutes. Do you really think that someone like Scar would be disturbed by something as insignificant as that!'

Everybody laughed, and hasted their steps in order to be with their king again. But as they approached Pride Rock, they noticed that something strange was indeed happening.

-'Hey, where is everyone?' – someone asked.

-'They must have gone inside the lair to hide from the rain' – Zira said.

-'Yeah, the lions might have… but where are the hyenas?'

That was true- Shenzi's pack was nowhere to be found, even though usually they hung out around Pride Rock like an infestation since their duty was to guard Scar.

Now even Zira felt concerned. Without another word, she gave Kovu to one of her sisters and rushed toward the entrance to the cave…

What she saw there made her growl with anger. All the Pridelanders were sitting together, smiling, and among them was someone quite unexpected.

-' _Nala_!' – Zira snarled. – 'What are you doing back here? Where is Scar? I doubt he will be happy to see you…'

Then she saw _him_. A male lion, sitting by Nala's side, but looking much different than her beloved king Scar.

-'Who… are… _you_?' – she asked, now herself completely thunderstruck.

All the laughter died down. The rain stopped completely and now the two groups of lions were sitting in front of each other at the top of Pride Rock, no longer able to celebrate the coming of the rain season.

The young lion with a thick brown mane stood in front of the Pridelanders as if he was their leader. He faced Zira and measured her with a stern look.

-'I should be the one asking this question. Who are you and what is your business here?'

Without giving her the time to speak, Nala came up to the lion with explanations.

-'Simba, this is Zira. She is… she _was_ Scar's mate.'

-' _What_?' – gasped the male. – 'I didn't realize Scar had a mate!'

This whole show was making Zira very, _very_ angry. Who was this intruder, anyway? Why were there other animals at Pride Rock- herbivores, like a mandril, a warthog and a meercat, hiding behind the lionesses' backs? What did Nala mean by saying about her that she _was_ Scar's mate?

-'Whoever you are, I advise you to listen to me' – she growled, barely holding herself in. – 'Take me to Scar right now, or I promise you there will be bloodshed!'

The lion called Simba gazed at her seriously.

-'Very well. If Scar's whom you're after, I'll take you to him'.

Everyone followed the lion to the back of Pride Rock where, at the bottom of the steep rocky slope, there was a patch of bare ground where the flames had burned away the grass. When Zira's lionesses saw what was lying there, they instinctively pulled Nuka, Kovu and Vitani away from the scene.

But she herself had to see it. She had to witness the aftermath of what had just happened with all its horror, especially that she wasn't there to prevent it from happening.

Upon seeing Scar's lifeless corpse, Zira broke down and started crying- and even her sisters had never seen her cry like that before. She laid in the pool of blood, holding tight to what was left of her beloved and her king's body.

Simba gave her a minute to mourn her loss. Then, standing on top of a rock, away from his uncle's mangled carcass, he introduced himself to the new arrivals.

-'I am Simba, Son of Mufasa, the rightful king of the Pridelands. The one you see here lying dead is a usurper and a murderer, who killed my father, his own brother, in order to seize the throne- as he himself admitted before all of us. I gave him a proposition to leave the land peacefully, but he refused. He fell down from the top of Pride Rock, but when that didn't kill him, his army of hyenas turned on him and mauled their leader to death. All we could do was to force them to flee the kingdom.'

Zira seemed not to listen to Simba's words. But when he finished speaking, she suddenly turned her face away from Scar's body and fixed her bloodshot, furious eyes on the one who claimed to be the new king of the Pridelands.

-'LIAR!' – she roared from the top of her voice. – 'All you said is a filthy _lie_! You should have been dead! You should have never come back! If it weren't for you, Scar would still be alive! _You_ killed him! You killed my mate, you murdered the father of my cubs…'

Overcome by her sorrow, Zira didn't even have the strength to continue screaming. Simba waited a few seconds so that he at least didn't have to outshout her and the other lionesses.

-'Order! _Order_! Zira, I'm sorry for your loss, but I assure you that I did _not_ kill Scar. As I said, he was betrayed by his hyena army and when…'

-'NO!' – screamed the desperate lioness. She tried to rush toward him and attack, but being completely exhausted, she was quickly restrained by the Pridelanders.

Simba gazed at her with a mixture of pity and disgust. Then Nala sat next to him and whispered something in her mate's ear. The king nodded. Also the mandrill Rafiki approached him with some piece of advice and finally Simba spoke, addressing Zira and all of her lionesses:

-'Scar was a murderer and an impostor. Anyone who remains loyal to him, cannot stay in the Pridelands. I know that you have cubs in your ranks, so I advise you to walk away peacefully. Enough blood has already been spilled today. Go now. You are all hereby banished from my kingdom forever.'

Zira could do nothing but growl and gnash her teeth, but some of the other lionesses from her pride raised their objections loudly.

-'We don't want to leave! This is our home!'

-'Who are you to exile us? We don't even know you!'

-'Where will we go? Do you want us to starve to death?' – they said.

But Simba's will remained unbent.

-'I can see you are all weak from the drought, but with the rain back I'm sure you will find some place for yourselves beyond the borders of the Pridelands. But I will _not_ let you stay here. Go now, all of you, and do not come back!'

Some of the lionesses became really angry. It almost seemed that they were about to attack. But then, surprisingly, Zira put an end to all of that.

-'Fine, Simba' – she said with resignation. – 'Let it be your way. _For now_. But know that we will all remember this- me, my lionesses, my cubs… We will _never_ forget. And one day, perhaps years from now, when we all grow stronger, we will meet again. And on that day, Scar _will_ be avenged. This I promise to you, _Simba_.'

She spoke his name with such hate that made even the lion king feel uneasy. But then, after delivering her last goodbye to her mate, Zira took Kovu in her jaws and with a lowered head lead her Pride away from Pride Rock and out of the Pridelands.

And as one of her lionesses was picking up the little Vitani to take her with them, nobody noticed that Nala's eyes were strongly fixed at the cub. And although she neither spoke nor did anything, those blue eyes of hers that she shared with her daughter were filled with tears.

* * *

 **AN: _Uh_! Exiled again! Oh when will Vitani finally find a home for herself where she will be able to smile sincerely?**


	11. The third Path

**Chapter 11 – The third Path**

 ***** Three years later *****

There was a lot going on in Vitani's mind.

Part of her desperately longed for revenge. For being rejected by her mother, for her first and second exile, for Zira and Nuka's deaths… The feeling of loss was unbearable, and it made her furiously angry. Something inside of her breathed with the lust for blood. This would have been her father's path- Scar's way of dealing with personal injustice. The path Zira blindly followed to her own demise.

Then again, sometimes she felt like it was all for nothing. What was the use? Everything she ever tried ended up in a disaster. Like with that rogue whom she had met one time, who was trespassing in the Outlands… What was his name? She couldn't even remember.

Vitani had no idea why the memory of her encounter with the rogue came back to her at this very moment. Maybe she subconsciously wanted to think of something pleasant and distract herself? After all, the few moments they spent with each other were one of only a bunch of good memories she had from her dry, termite-infested former home.

The rogue was a young male, probably her age, and he had a magnificent golden mane. When she saw him for the first time, she obviously reacted as she would toward any other trespasser, but how she felt inside was… special. Vitani had never felt anything like that before, especially that apart from her brothers, there were no other males in her pride.

Attracted by the rogue's silky voice, she decided not to attack him. They only spoke for a couple of minutes, and Vitani found out that the rogue had been exiled from his former pride by his own father as soon as he became an adult. From that time, he'd been looking for a place… and an appropriate mate for himself.

The rogue invited her to come meet with him the next day, and then ran off. There was nothing Vitani wanted more in the world at that moment. Still, compelled by a sense of duty, when Zira asked her if she had encountered anything during her patrol, the lioness told her mother about the rogue. Vitani thought that maybe Zira would permit him to join their pride and help them in the upcoming war…

Unfortunately, Zira was strongly opposed. She forbade her to ever meet with the rogue again, and personally patrolled the area where they had met to make sure he wouldn't come back. Vitani never saw him again.

As she laid herself to sleep under some tree beyond the border of the Pridelands, Vitani remembered her only failed attempt to find a real friend for herself. It did cause her pain to recall how the whole situation was quickly terminated, but at least she still had some memories of him… The blurry vision of the golden-haired rogue and the sound of his voice were the only things that were able to lull her to sleep that night.

She didn't notice how long she was asleep, but when she was seeing Zira again in her dreams as she sternly denied to her the permission to meet with the rogue again, something hit her on the head. Having the impression of being struck by her mother, she woke up with a sudden gasp. It was only a dream, but somehow, the pain in her head was real.

-"What the…?"

Completely disoriented, she blinked a couple of times to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Then she noticed that she had been sleeping under a baobab tree, and that an unripe piece of fruit from its top was lying by her side- the very piece of fruit that had just fallen on her head.

She looked up toward the branches of the tree. It was odd, because it wasn't the time for this type of fruit to fall yet…

And then she saw that there was someone sitting up in the tree.

There came a loud thud, and suddenly Vitani noticed that there was now a whole shower of unripe fruit heading her way. She barely managed to dodge them. Looking back toward the top of the baobab with a growl, she noticed that the one who was knocking the fruit of the tree was some sort of a monkey with a stick in his hand. And the monkey was laughing at her.

-"Is this your idea of _fun_? Disturbing lions in their sleep? Well, we'll see who's gonna be laughing in a sec…" – said the irritated Vitani, and then, with lightning speed, she pounced at the tree with her claws sticking out and started climbing.

Vitani had the opinion of a skilled climber, better even than Kovu. Although by the time she reached the branch on which the monkey sat, it had already jumped down to the ground. Not wasting any time, Vitani leapt at him, but he sprung to the side right from under her claws and by the time she regained her balance, the ape was back on one of the tallest branches of the baobab. And he started laughing again.

Vitani growled at him angrily.

-" _Fine_! We'll see how long you can sit up there! I can wait here for days until I can have you for breakfast. Silly mandrill!"

Yes, the monkey was indeed an old mandrill. And the longer Vitani looked at this ridiculous, chortling character, the more she thought that he looked kind of familiar…

-"Wait a minute… I know you! You're that crazy shaman from the gathering!"

The monkey didn't do anything else than hit one of the branches of the baobab with the staff he was wielding, sending another bunch of unripe projectiles Vitani's way. After she managed to dodge them, he said:

-"Ha-ha, ho-ho, he-he! Promise you won't hurt a friend an' den we can talk civilly!"

Having enough of being the mandrill's target, Vitani agreed. The agile old ape grabbed a branch with his arms, made a 360-degree swing and, in a flash, he was down on the ground.

-"Rafiki, at your service!" – he introduced himself with a bow. But the lioness didn't return the courtesy.

-"Give me one reason why I shouldn't eat you" – she confronted him.

The shaman chuckled and rattled his staff. His crazy behavior was slowly starting to bore Vitani, and she was becoming impatient with him.

-"Ooh, you better not! Not if you want to know which way to go!"

That was strange. How could _he_ possibly know which way she should be going?

-"I don't have time for your nonsense…" – Vitani rolled her eyes and prepared to walk away. But then Rafiki did a sudden back-flip and there he was facing her again.

-"Stop! I know who you are. You are Vitani- de Forgotten One, de Daughter of Darkness… But you do not want to be like that. An' dere is darkness in your heart dat haunts you, a heavy darkness dat makes it hard for you to find de right path…"

There was something mysterious in the old crazy shaman's voice. _How did he know all this?_ – Vitani thought. Sure, Simba might have told him some things, but why did she have a feeling that he could see what was going on inside her? She quickly dismissed the disturbing thought.

-"Look, Rafiki, whoever you are. I was banished from the Pridelands and I have places to go now. Leave me alone, I'm not in the mood for games…"

But the mandrill, as if not paying attention to what she was saying, gazed at her with his piercing look and continued in a low, cryptic voice:

-"Two paths you see before you, unsure of which to follow. But both are gateways to de darkness. You left Simba's kingdom for a reason. You must discover de truth. Dere are still many hidden secrets, but only de path of light will lead you to de answer."

Rafiki's words caused a turmoil in Vitani's mind. _Two paths…_ She had been considering two possibilities. _Yes, one of them is Scar's path- to go back and kill Simba. The other- to go drown myself in the nearest river, just as Zira had done, and get it all over with. But both are gateways to darkness…_

-"What is this… truth you are talking about?" – she asked, feeling more and more confused. Rafiki, as if in a trance, leaned on his staff and closed his eyes.

-"De truth will answer all questions, yours and otherwise. Or better yet- if you follow de right path, it will teach you to answer dem yourself. But I cannot tell you what it is. Only _she_ can- de Old Lioness… Hurt is she, and now close to death. Go, seek her. Seek de truth Vitani, Daughter of Darkness."

-"The Old Lioness? Who's that? Where can I find her? Tell me!" – Vitani demanded. She knew that his was important somehow, but she had no clue why.

Rafiki laughed.

-" _Hahaha_! You ask me, but you already know yourself! Which road leads away from de darkness? A cub's question!"

With a smile on his face, the mandrill pointed with his staff toward the halo on the horizon, where the sun was almost about to rise and where its first rays were already visible.

East. Where the Outlands were.

-"I will _not_ go back there!" – the lioness growled when she understood what Rafiki had in mind. – "You can't make me. There must be some other path!"

All of a sudden, Rafiki swung his staff at her and Vitani was just barely able to lower hear head and dodge the attack. She snarled at him angrily, but the way he looked at her prevented her from harming him.

-"You have learned how to run from de pain, Daughter of Darkness. Dat only works for a while" – the mandrill spoke as if trying to calm her down, continuing to point east with his stick. – "But de sun rises over lands of darkness to fill them wit' light. So it will be wit' your heart, if you chose not to run from de light."

And then, as if by some sort of a spell, a great flash illuminated the horizon so brightly and so suddenly that it seemed that night turned into day in a matter of seconds. Completely astonished, Vitani stood there, gazing at the rising sun until she had to turn away because of the blinding light.

-"How the hell did that…" – she started saying, but there was no one there to answer her question. Rafiki was gone, and Vitani was left alone, surrounded only by unripe fruit.

Turning her head around and finding nobody there, she suddenly started to laugh in a mad, unbridled chortle. She laughed so hard she needed to lie down on the ground, almost losing her breath.

-"Ha! I never thought things would get as bad I'd start seeing things, _especially_ crazy monkeys telling me some stupid secrets, ha-ha… Darn it! Why couldn't I imagine somebody else, like that rogue with the golden mane? Life just ain't fair…"

But then, as Vitani regained her self-control and was able to think clearly, she considered if maybe all that she saw wasn't a mirage at all. Then again, what did she have to lose? At least now she had a destination to follow, even if she'd be following a hallucination.

-"Ah, to hell with it all!" – she said to herself as she stood up, finally ready for her journey east. – "I'm going to where I came from. Who cares? If the Outlands made me who I am, maybe I should go back."

She started walking, repeating the words she heard over and over in her mind. Whether it was really Rafiki who said them (and who knew what sort of powers he was in contact with?) or just her tired imagination, she didn't care anymore. She headed toward her old home in the forsaken Outlands, and turned from the path only for a moment in order to steal one more piece of game from Simba's border for her breakfast.

* * *

 **AN: A little help from a very unexpected sourse. Rafiki speaks in riddles, but where will following them lead Vitani? Right now, her mission is to look for the truth about the Pridelands outside of the Pridelands- to throw a new light on old secrets.**


	12. Back to where I came from

**AN: I got word that some of you are not receiving update messages. I hope it's only a temporary problem with the server. I PM'd all the followers of this story and I wanted to let everyone know I will be updating every second day, in case you're not being notified about updates.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12 – Back to where I came from**

On her way to the Outlands, Vitani agreed that what she had seen was not just a projection of her imagination. She may have been "de Forgotten One" and "de Daughter of Darkness" as Rafiki said, but she was not crazy. If there was some secret that she had to unravel in order to finally find some peace of mind, she would do it- even if she had to kill someone. And even if she had to listen to the advice of a crazy old ape, which was much more unlikely.

The old ape's advice was leading her east, to her old home and place of exile in the Outlands. And even though she went there with a heavy heart, as she approached, she was surprised to see how little that place had changed since she and her adopted family left. The crocodiles in the Zuberi river that marked the border of the Outlands were as lazy as ever, so Vitani swam by them without even waking them up. The area was, as always, dry, barren and unwelcoming. The sun seemed to be scorching harder than it did anywhere else, and feeling its familiar rays on her back made Vitani remember her cubhood spent in this wasteland.

Ah yes, there were their so-called "hunting grounds" that hardly provided anything else than rodents to eat. Nuka would chase them almost every day, as long as he wasn't busy with some task assigned to him by his mother.

And then, closer to home, was a patch of beaten dirt where the pride used to train. Vitani spent countless hours there practicing with Kovu and the other lionesses under Zira's watchful eye. As she walked through this field, there was nothing that came to mind more than aching muscles, her mother's constant screaming and a rare, short-lived satisfaction of success. But when she did win a fight, she always had to start over again with a new opponent. And again, and again… She used to think that the fighting would never stop. That was one of the reasons why the Outlanders sought so desperately to finally overthrow Simba and have Kovu as their king in the Pridelands. And there she was again, her battle not yet complete, although the others were long gone. Well, after all, her name did mean "lasting war".

With a sigh, Vitani walked over to her old lair- the great termite mound, and sat at its entrance. The place still looked the same, but was dreadfully empty and silent. It looked so strange without Zira running around, giving orders and delivering rebukes… The sight sent a shiver down Vitani's back.

When she entered the pleasant cold inside, scaring away the termites, she saw again the many places that reminded her of her youth. The tree stump where Kovu used to sleep when he was a cub. Zira's den in one of the higher caverns. The rock she herself used to sharpen her claws. Nuka's lair in one of the darker corners…

 _Oh Nuka._ Thinking of him still caused her pain. His death was so stupid and unnecessary, but all he wanted to do was to please Zira. Even after what she had done to him. As Vitani stood in the place where her foster brother used to sleep, she was surprised to se that, even after such a long time, there were still strands of his molting black hair lying around.

She couldn't possibly make herself stay there for long. All bitter inside, she went over to her own old corner and shooed off the termites with which she had always been fighting a perpetual war.

-"Well, what now, Rafiki?" – she asked, and her voice echoed in the empty halls of the mound. – "There's nothing here!"

In a lousy mood, she lied down and decided to go to sleep. _I'll be sleeping in a tomb_ \- the thought before closing her eyes.

Darkness engulfed her quickly and soon she found herself in a dream. She was in some rocky place in the middle of the night and she heard what sounded like an argument of some sort. When she looked from behind a boulder, she noticed that she was actually on Pride Rock, and that there were two lions on top- Simba… and her father.

-"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart" – Scar said angrily.

-"Uncle, you must understand…" – answered Simba, as if in an attempt to explain himself. – "… the pressures of ruling a kingdom…"

-"… are no longer yours. Step down, Simba."

\- "Oh, of course, I would, naturally. But there's one little problem. You see them?" - Suddenly, the Pridelander lionesses appeared by Simba's side. All of them, Nala, Kiara and the others, growling and ready to attack. – "They think _I'm_ king."

And awkward silence followed and something called Vitani to rush to her father's help, but Scar stood undisturbed and continued to smile mysteriously.

-"Well, Simba… But _are you_?"

As soon as he finished the question, a lightning bolt ripped through the sky. When the flash was over, the pride was gone and Simba was hanging desperately at the very edge of Pride Rock. Scar was facing him, holding on to his paws.

-"And here's my little secret…"

He whispered something into Simba's ear, something that Vitani thought was very important. But although she wanted it badly, she couldn't hear what her father said.

-" _NOOOOO_ …!"

Simba's scream echoed above Pride Rock as he fell down from the very top to his death. When the sound died down as well, all of the Pridelanders appeared again, and the Outlanders as well along with Zira, Nuka and Kovu, bowing their heads and paying tribute to the victorious Scar.

All of this seemed extremely odd to Vitani. Wasn't what actually happened the other way around? Wasn't it Simba who order Scar to step down? And wasn't Scar the one who fell from the top of Pride Rock and died?

She wanted to run to him, she wanted to ask him about that. But she was too afraid, what was driving her insane. As she gazed at her father as he stood all the way up there in triumph, all she felt was fear.

But then he noticed her presence. And when he looked at her, her heart almost stopped beating. His green eyes vanished, and so did the black mane, and the skin, and the muscles and sinews underneath. All that was left was the skull which Simba put in Scar's Den.

-" _Find her_ " – said he in the ghastliest of voices – " _find her, Daughter of Darkness_ ".

And then everyone- Zira, her brothers, the whole pride, all skeletons, turned toward her and roared:

 _-"FIND HERRR!"_

Vitani awoke feeling that something was touching her. Groaning in the night, she started rolling furiously, scratching her fur, cursing and hitting the ground with her paws.

-"Damn it, _damn it_ , DAMN IT! Damn you stupid little pests! You vermin! You… damn… stupid… _termites_!"

After she was finally able to free herself from the infestation of the inhabitants of the mound, she breathed deeply and just lied there for several minutes, letting her beating heart calm down.

It was only a dream. Scar wasn't _really_ there- he was dead. And so was Zira, and Nuka. But the very fact that she was here must have meant something. "You left Simba's kingdom for a reason" – Rafiki told her. And now this dream…

She thought about the words Scar whispered to Simba before throwing him down the edge of Pride Rock. "My little secret". It wasn't about that Scar killed Mufasa- everyone knew that by now. It was something else. "There are still many hidden secrets"…

 _Find her_ – Scar ordered her. Did he mean this mysterious Old Lioness whom Rafiki had mentioned? Could it be possible? But why would Rafiki and Scar speak of the same person?

Vitani felt confused, and since she couldn't sleep anymore, she went out of the termite mound trying to crush as many of its inhabitants under her paws on the way as possible.

It was only moments before dawn. Again, the sun's rays started to illuminate the eastern sky.

" _The path of light will lead you to the answer"_ – Vitani recalled Rafiki's words. Maybe he wasn't talking about returning to the Outlands, but going beyond the Outlands?

Then she remembered- of course! It was by the Outlands' eastern border where she had met the rogue all that time ago. Who knows, maybe he was still out there somewhere? The chances were slim, but somehow thinking about it made her journey easier. Not looking back at the termite mound, Vitani continued her journey in search of truth.

* * *

 **AN: Thus daddy enters the scene. You didn't suppose he would just leave his daughter alone, did you? Is Scar planning to use Vitani from bayond the grave to execute his vengeance on Simba?**

 **(Evil voice) _Muhahaha, follow in your father's pawprints, Vitani!_**


	13. Cubs' Dreams

**AN: Wow. Something must really be wrong with the server. Just today, I received several review notices, some of which are weeks old, whereas others aren't even on the website! I hope they fix this quick, cause I've got another story coming after this one.**

 **Anyway, here's another flashback from Tani.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13 – Cubs' Dreams**

 ***** Two-and-a-half years earlier *****

Vitani's paws hurt. She thought that after her and Nuka's successful trip to the Pridelands, which revealed the truth about Simba's cub being a girl, Zira would reward them with giving them the rest of the day off. But no- although their mother was happy with the outcome of their expedition, she still made Vitani participate in the daily routine of training, while sending Nuka to catch her something to eat.

It was a long walk to the Pridelands, and it took Nuka forever to catch anyone out there whom they could interrogate about the presentation that happened at Pride Rock some time earlier. After returning home with the happy news they obtained from some terrified buzzard, Vitani was already tired, and after Zira made her exercise until sundown, she thought she would breathe her last. Now she was achy all over, and since she was unable to fall sleep, she decided to sneak out of her lair and walk around the mound a bit.

Everyone else was sleeping. Even the termites moved around slower than usual, what made squishing them easier. Vitani always did that as revenge for them crawling all over her and waking her up at night. And besides- if there was nothing else around, termites always could serve as a snack.

As quietly as she could, she snuck up to the tree stump where Kovu laid sleeping. Pulling herself up, she made sure that he was indeed completely unconscious. _Perfect_ – she thought to herself, smiling.

She reached over from behind Kovu's back and put her paw on his mouth. The cub opened his eyes and wanted to scream, but since she was holding his strongly, he was unable to do that.

-" _I am Simba_ " – she whispered in a low voice. – " _Prepare to die!_ "

Kovu's groaning and struggling made it hard for her not to laugh. But when her brother bit her paw she was holding him with…

-"Yoooow!" – she shrieked, letting go of the stump and falling down to the ground on her butt.

Kovu also jumped down and stood by her, puffing out his chest proudly.

-"Simba, huh?" – he chuckled. – "Well where's your mane? I thought you were bigger, too. Why wait until I'm older? I may as well take you out right now…"

Kovu prepared to pounce, but Vitani stood up and stopped him from doing that.

-"Keep it down, stupid!" – she whispered angrily. – "You don't wanna spoil mother's good mood by waking her up, do ya?"

Both cubs remained silent for a minute, listening. They started talking again only when they hear Zira's snoring.

-"You were the one who woke me up!" – Kovu complained. – "Why'd ya do that, anyway?"

Vitani sat down on the ground, sighed and casually squished another termite.

-"I can't fall asleep. My paws hurt. And my hind legs, too. And my back. And my head. Actually, I'm aching all over!"

-"Too much training?" – asked the male cub, sitting by his sister's side.

-"Yeah… I walked all the way to the Pridelands and back, and then had to practice running and dueling. Zira made me fight with Uzi, and she's much bigger than me…"

-"Everyone's bigger than you, you know!" – Kovu boasted. As everybody knew, and as he would always remind her, even though he was a week younger, by now he'd grown to be half-an-inch taller than Vitani.

-" _For now_ " – his sister answered, her voice carrying a note of warning.

But as proud as Kovu was, he could see that Vitani was in a bad mood. So he decided to change the subject.

-"Hey, by the way, I never had the chance to ask- how are the Pridelands, anyway?"

Kovu couldn't remember anything about the place he was born. So did Vitani, and that was why she was especially excited when Zira announced she wanted her to accompany Nuka on the mission to find out what happened during Kiara's presentation. _This mission is too important for Nuka to go alone_ \- she said. _I'm planning on sending you to spy on the Pridelanders and to steal food from them in the future, Vitani, so it would be good for you to see their land first. Their kingdom that will soon become ours!_

Kovu wanted desperately to go with his siblings, but Zira refused sternly. _No, it's too dangerous for you to go. You're too precious to our cause._ To her, anyone else except for Kovu was cannon fodder.

-"The Pridelands?" – Vitani's eyes lighted up. – "They're like some kind of a paradise! Almost everything is covered with grass. I mean green grass, not dead grass, like the one we have over here. There's watering holes so big that you can hardly see the other side. And the animals! We saw antelope, wildebeests, buffalos… They have everything! I wished Nuka would catch one of those for our dinner…"

-"And what about Pride Rock? Did you see it?" – Kovu inquired, barely able to whisper from the curiosity.

His sister frowned.

-"Well, we weren't allowed to go anywhere near Pride Rock… We only had to catch some Pridelander animal and ask him questions. But I did get a glimpse of it from the distance."

-"And?"

-"It's huge! It's almost like a mountain, jetting out from the ground. I wanted to go see it so bad, but the stupid Pridelanders would kill us if we tried that."

-"Yeah, they probably would" – Kovu whined as well. – "Don't worry, Vitani. When I'm old enough, I'll get rid of Simba and then we can all go live in the Pridelands. Now that we know that he's the only male there and that he doesn't have an heir to take his place, it's gonna be an easy job."

-"Yeah, it's basically gonna be like killing termites!" – chuckled the female, squishing another one of the small insects with her paw. – "I can't wait! When you're king, we won't have to train all day. There's lots of prey everywhere in the Pridelands. Hunting will be easier than ever. All we have to do is get rid of the pride that is taking our place…"

For some reason, Kovu didn't laugh. He looked away, looking as if something was bugging him.

-"What's the matter?" – Vitani asked him.

-"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that…"

-"C'mon, you can tell me!" – she moved to sit face to face with her brother. – "I can see that something's wrong. You weren't celebrating with the others when Nuka and I came back".

It was hard for Kovu to admit it, but he was feeling a bit unsure about a certain situation.

-"Vitani, do you think I'll be a good king?" – he asked sadly.

The question surprised Vitani as she didn't know why Kovu would have any doubts about that.

-"Yeah, sure you will. You're Scar's heir, Pride Rock belongs to you. Besides, you know what mother always says- her training is gonna make you stronger than any lion, especially Simba. After all, he was raised in a jungle eating grubs!"

-"That's not what I meant…" – Kovu said, digging a hole in the sand with his paw.

-"What, then?"

-" _Uh_ , alright. I'll tell you. Before you came, I was practicing pouncing. I managed to catch a bug- you know, one of those big ones with wings. They're pretty fast. When I did catch it, I let it go, but mother was watching me and she came over, caught the bug and killed it. She said that not killing it myself was weakness. That we would never conquer the Pridelands if we tolerated that. But I didn't even know why I had to kill it! It's not like I would eat it or anything... I don't know. What do you think, Vitani? Is that really some kind of weakness, or not?"

The female cub thought for a while, then said:

-"Well, it's not like we're gonna eat the Pridelanders after we kill them…"

-" _Uh_ , no, of course not…" – Kovu responded awkwardly. – "But do you think we really gotta kill _all_ of them?"

Now this was a hard one. Vitani never actually though about that.

-"Well, _uhm_ … it depends, I guess. If they fight back, they're gonna have to die. But who knows. They're cowards, so maybe they won't. Then the ones who surrender can leave. We can exile them, like, to the Outlands or something. Wouldn't that be fun? Of course, we will have to kill _some_ of them… Simba, obviously."

-"Yeah, obviously."

-"Nala too, I think…"

-"Yup, she's not just gonna leave peacefully after we've killed her mate."

-"… and Kiara."

-"Uh-um, that shouldn't be a problem."

-"What'll you do when you see her?"

-"Oh, I'll probably just go for the neck. You know, if she was a male, that wouldn't be possible because of the mane. But since she isn't… Like you said, killing termites. Good thing you found out that Simba has a daughter! But… Yeah, I guess we don't _have to_ kill the others. There's no weakness in that, right?"

Vitani snorted.

-" _Puh_. Who cares about what happens to them after Simba's dead? They can all live a hundred years for all I care, as long as they do it away from the Pridelands!"

This time, Kovu laughed together with his sister.

-"Yeah! That's right! They can all come here and eat termites all their lives!"

-"Right!"

Both of the cubs laughed aloud, but then, suddenly, Vitani put her paw on Kovu's mouth again.

-" _Shhh_!" – she said. – "Someone's coming!"

Indeed, in the silence of the night, the two heard a sound of footsteps. And moaning.

Nuka rolled out of the darkness, his eyes blood-shot and his fur in disarray- even worse than usually. He sat down in front of them, yawned, and scratched his chest, making the termites that were there fly through the air.

-"Oh, will you two shut up?" – he whispered. – "Vitani, haven't I heard you whining all evening that you're tired from practicing? And Kovu. Some of us who are not _chosen ones_ have stuff to do in the morning. Go to sleep! You don't want mother to see you yawning during her lessons again, do you?"

The older brother went back to his den, still scratching. Vitani and Kovu said good night to each other, but before they parted, he pulled her closer and whispered in her ear:

-"Someday, when Scratchy isn't watching, I'll sneak out of here and check the Pridelands out myself. After all, I gotta go see this kingdom that I am about to rule myself!"

* * *

 **AN: So I guess this happens... before the events from Simba's Prade and** **'Lion Guard'? Kinda, sorta? The canon is so messed up right now...**

 **The scenes mentioned in this chapter (Vitani discovering Simba's cub is a girl and Zira scolding Kovu for letting the bug go) aren't in the second movie, but are deleted scenes that were already dubbed and everything. It's a shame they were removed, really.**


	14. Sharing is Caring

**Chapter 14 – Sharing is Caring**

 ***** Two-and-a-half years later *****

Vitani had never been east of the Outlands and, frankly, she was surprised to see how fertile was the area just two days' walk away from her old home. If her former pride had wanted to, they could have relocated there and lived an easy life. But it obviously weren't the accommodations that made Zira stay in their barren place of exile. It was the desire for vengeance.

The lioness kept on walking east, not sure of what she should be looking for. She considered that if anything like destiny even existed, if it decided to reveal itself by means of a crazy old monkey, she might as well keep on going until she bumps into what she's destined to find anyway.

The first week of her travel was uneventful. She walked, she hunted, she drank from the many watering holes and rivers on the way- everything any other rogue lion did. And by the time the week had passed, she was at peace with this first truth that she learned- that she was now a rogue.

One day she traveled through a fertile plain that spread on both sides of some great river. The area was richly inhabited, so when Vitani felt her stomach rumbling, she decided it was time for another hunt. She hid in the reeds on the river's shore and observed where the animals were coming down to drink. There was a certain spot close by where a group of zebras was coming down to quench their thirst at midday. Vitani chose them as her target.

Zebras were big and could run fast, but the drinking spot was pretty tight and she predicted that if she attacked them from surprise, that and the mud would prevent at least some of them from running off immediately.

As she planned out, so she did. As they were coming down to drink from the river, the zebras failed to notice her. The wind was on her side and everything was perfect. After waiting for about half an hour to give the prey an illusion of safety, Vitani suddenly sprung out of the reeds, causing havoc among the frightened animals. Most of them managed to flee, but some started running in random directions blindly, tripping in the deep mud and bumping into each other, what was greatly slowing them down. Taking one of them out was then only a matter of seconds.

Vitani picked a young stallion for her prey. It wasn't a big one, but quite enough for her needs. When the animal wasn't breathing anymore, the lioness readied herself for a true feast. The meat was tender and fresh, and she had plenty of water right there by her side. All a rogue could ever wish for.

Of course, any rogue lion that had ever caught anything in the savannah wished that he could also _finish_ their meal in peace. To Vitani's great discontent, that wasn't destined to happen. As soon as she took a few bites out of the meat, she felt a scent in the air that would have normally taken her appetite away, as it always did, but in these circumstances, meant that she was in danger.

It was the stink of hyenas.

Wiping the blood off her muzzle and jumping to her feet, Vitani observed her surroundings carefully. Strangely enough, she couldn't hear anything, and approaching hyenas usually caused quite a ruckus. _Maybe they were just passing by?_ – she hoped. – _No. Impossible. Hyenas would never just pass by a dead corpse, even if it were a week old…_

And she was right. Unfortunately both for the zebras and for her, the edge of the river was surrounded by a tall hill. It was impossible to see what was on the other side while standing at its foot, and it rendered escape greatly difficult.

They all appeared at the top of the hill almost at once. There were at least ten or twelve of them, and who knows how many were still hiding. As they were coming down toward the river, Vitani knew that they wouldn't let her keep her prey without a fight.

 _Oh, this is just fantastic_ – she thought to herself. _– Rafiki's prophesy didn't mention that the path of light also ends in being mauled to death… Well, let's see what they got. What did Zira always say about hyenas? Never be afraid of them. They may laugh, but they always shake when they see a lion._

And when the pack had her surrounded, with the river behind her back, they did laugh in a very hyena-like way. Vitani rolled her eyes.

-"Okay, let's get this over with. You want my meat, and I'm not gonna give it to you" – she addressed them while assuming a threatening position.

But the hyenas didn't attack just yet. One of them, supposedly the leader, stood in front of the line and gave the lioness a most disgusting glare. The more disgusting that the old female's face was horribly disfigured by a series of scars… or rather, she was simply missing half of it.

-" _Heh-heh_! Well, looks like we's got ourselves a lil' fighter here!" – the hyena spoke in a raspy voice that reminded Vitani of Shenzi. – "Oh, we ain't here to fight ya, kitty-cat! We just wanted to ask ya if you'd be willin' to share some of that savory zebra wit' us. C'mon! You're an exile, aren't ya? Just like all of us here. We're the scum o' the earth, we need to be helpin' each other out!"

The ugly beast was speaking pretty words, but Vitani knew she was lying. Her companions were already bearing their sharp teeth at her. But although her chances were slim, Vitani was not someone who could be easily intimidated.

-"Do not compare me with yourself, you empty-headed piece of rotten meat!" – she snapped at the leader, making her take a step back and deliver another mocking laugh – "You want to know who I am? I'm the daughter of Zira, a well-known hyena slayer from the Outlands. The one responsible for wiping out Shenzi's pack. You heard of her?"

Immediately, all the hyenas started giggling uncontrollably, making Vitani even angrier. _Which one of these idiots should I attack first?_ – she though.

When the choir of laughter died down a bit, the leader said to her:

-"Da-amn! Was that supposed to scare me? Well, it didn't work. I did hear about Zira, but pray tell, o great _hyena slayer_ \- where is yo momma now?"

Vitani didn't really have an answer to that. Instead, she growled:

-"I'm gonna tear the rest of your face off.."

She rushed straight at the leader and almost had her, but the female ran off with a chortle and hid herself behind the backs of her grunts. And their fangs looked much sharper than their leader's.

 _Okay, this is it_ – Vitani thought to herself. – _Killed by hyenas_. _Like father, like daughter. But if I have to go, I will not go alone…_

She was ready to start fighting- and to die fighting. She was already struggling with the first opponent, biting him mercilessly, while herself being bitten by at least two or three of his companions in the same merciless manner. And then…

 _RRROAAARRRR…!_

The roar she heard was so loud that even the fighting hyenas turned their heads. And, in a flash, they all yelped in terror. Out of nowhere, there came a lion- a huge male with a magnificent, brown mane. Rushing into battle like a thunderbolt, he struck down several hyenas on the way, and then attacked those that were struggling with Vitani, freeing her from their clutches. Now the hyenas had two lions as their opponents. Some quickly made a run for it, including the female leader, and those brave ones that stayed quickly joined them, staggering from their new cuts and bruises. Before long, the only ones left on the battlefield were Vitani, the lion, and the dead zebra.

The mysterious male came up to her, looking concerned. He must have been at least two years older than her, most likely a rogue, but still fairly strong and fast.

-"Did they hurt you?" – he asked. Vitani moved away, panting, not permitting him to touch her. The outcome of the fight still left her in a bit of a shock.

-"It's nothing" – she answered, and then went over to the river, collapsed, and started drinking.

The brown male joined her in the same, examining her closely.

-"No broken bones, seems that you only have a few fresh bite marks… Am I right?" – he inquired after taking a drink. But Vitani gave him an impatient glare.

-"Look, thanks for saving my ass from ending up in those morons' stomachs. I have no idea why you did that, but it obviously wasn't for free. Whatever you're sellin', I ain't buyin', so you might as well leave me alone."

She stood up, expecting him to leave, but although he did the same, it didn't seem like he was going anywhere.

-"Ah, the stereotype of the mercenary rogue…" – he smiled. – "I guess I've been called worse. But seriously, I know that hyena clan and I just _love_ teasing them. And when I saw that they had the audacity to attack a lonely lioness- you tell me yourself, how could I possibly miss such an opportunity?"

He was visibly trying to charm her with his smooth speech and humor, but she wasn't in the mood for any of it. She turned away, and went over to her prey.

-"Uhm, do you have a name, at least?" – he asked awkwardly, following her.

-"Not for you" – answered the lioness as she continued her interrupted breakfast.

-"Well, allow me to at least introduce myself…"

-" _No_. I told you to leave me alone!"

-"Okay. One second. Just hear me out. See, not far east from here there lives a group of lions called the River Pride. I've been watching them for quite some time and I learned that there's only one male there. And he doesn't seem to be very strong, either. In a word, I'm planning to challenge him in combat and become the leader of the River Pride myself. I thought you might be interested in joining me there. You know, I can see you weren't born a rogue. Same thing with me. We belong in a pride and I think that with your help I could…"

Vitani turned her head away from her meal and gave the male a piercing, angry glare. That made him choke in mid-sentence.

-"Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?" – she said with a mouth full of meat.

The lion smiled awkwardly.

-" _Heh-heh_. Yeah, a couple of times… Say, stranger. All this hyena-slaying has given me an appetite. How about sharing your tasty zebra with me in exchange for, as you said, 'saving your ass'? After all, I didn't leave you when you were in need, and there's more than enough for both of us. You know what they say- sharing is caring, so…"

Without waiting for her permission (which wouldn't have been granted anyway), the rogue lion opened his mouth and was about to bite into Vitani's prey. That was a mistake.

Having hit her boiling point, the lioness swung her paw at him with a growl. The stupefied male barely dodged her claws, and jumped away from the meat.

-"Whoah, _easy_! Sheesh, some people' s ingratitude…"

Looking at Vitani's bared fangs made him understand clearly that she didn't want to share her meal. This time, the brown lion became angry himself.

-"Fine, have it your way! Just don't come running to me when you're surrounded by a bunch of hyenas again! _Puh_ , females…"

He could say whatever he wanted, as long as he left her alone. She didn't care. But as she finished her breakfast in peace, she still somehow felt grateful to him for helping her… and for providing her with some helpful info.

 _Hm, the River Pride lives east of here, do they? Maybe I should pay them a visit before this rogue does…_

* * *

 **AN: I just love hunting stories. But this time, Vitani caught something much different from what she'd expected.**


	15. The River Pride

**Chapter 15 – The River Pride**

Finding the group of lions which the brown rogue spoke of wasn't hard at all. It's not like a pride needed to conceal its presence on their own territory, anyway. The River Pride lives on the fertile savannah, close to both the herds and the water. It was a perfect place to live, and Vitani couldn't really blame the stranger for planning to take it over. After all, that was what rogue males did anywhere outside of the Pridelands.

As soon as she spotted the pride, Vitani approached one of the lionesses openly. They were just finished with a hunt. The female was young and slim, and seeing a stranger visibly scared her.

-"Oh.." – gasped the lioness shyly. – "Who are you? What are you doing in our land? You shouldn't be here!"

Vitani looked at her with pity. She was barely an adult.

-"Don't worry your pretty head, sweety, or you'll get indigestion. I'm not here to hurt you. If you would be so kind, please- take me to your leader."

But the youngster wasn't convinced of safety at all.

-"O-our leader?" – she stammered. – "No, I can't… W-what do you want from him?"

 _Oh, that's easy. And old mandrill told me to keep going east, and your pride just happens to be in the way- obviously, this must be a part of the prophesy! Duh!_

-" _Uh_ , never mind" – Vitani decided not to express her real motivations. – "Where's he at? Is this the right way?"

She started walking without even waiting for the young female to lead her.

-"Wait! What are you doing! You can't go there! _Wait_ …!"

But despite the opposition, Vitani was already walking straight through the River Pride's territory. Whether she wanted to or not, the youngster accompanied her, lowering her head with embarrassment. Vitani didn't mind all the angry and curious looks she was getting from all the other lionesses. The pride was fairly large, few of the females were taking care of cubs and one or two others were pregnant. _One male_ – she thought to herself. – _This must be a real paradise for him…_

The leader of the Pride was sitting under a tall tree, taking his rest. When Vitani and the youngster appeared at the spot, one of the other lionesses, probably the male's primary mate, blocked their way and ordered them to stop.

-" _Halt_! How dare you invade our land like this, rogue? Aibu, who is this and why have you brought her here?"

The young female called Aibu tried to explain herself, but she was almost too afraid to speak.

-"Uh, well, she showed up out of nowhere and… and she said she wanted to… to see Dumah, and…"

 _Dumah? Where have I heard that name before?_ – Vitani wondered.

-"Listen" – she said. – "I'm not here to cause you and trouble. I just wanna speak to your leader. If he's sleeping, that's okay . I can wait…"

But then Vitani noticed movement in the shade underneath the tree. It seemed that the male wasn't asleep, after all. He left his meal which the other lionesses had just brought him, walked out from the shade, and…

And then Vitani froze. For before her eyes appeared the very same gold-maned rogue whom she had met on the border of the Outlands all that time ago. Only that he was not longer a rogue. He'd grown bigger, and handsomer- Vitani had to admit.

 _Hey, maybe this trip east wasn't such a bad idea after all?_ – she thought in her heart, and smiled involuntarily.

The lion named Dumah also smiled upon seeing her, which meant that he recognized her. He pushed his mate out of the way quite violently, and then… he said something very strange.

-"The hell are _you_ doing here, Kitana?"

Vitani felt extremely awkward after such an unusual welcome.

-"I… ehm…" – she stammered. – "My name is Vitani, Dumah. And I'm… glad to see you again?"

She couldn't blame him for not remembering her name, but still, why was he acting like that?

-"Oh Kitana, Vitani, whatever" – he continued, still smiling mockingly. – "I don't know how you found me, and I really don't know why you looked. Did you leave the Outlands just for that reason? I'm flattered, really. But did you really expect I would welcome you after how I was treated over there?"

 _What's he talking about?_ – Vitani desperately tried to recall, feeling the ground crumbling beneath her feet. As far as she remembered, her encounter with Dumah left nothing but good memories.

-"I'm sorry, I don't understand…"

-"You don't understand?" – the lion cut her off. This time he looked like he was getting seriously angry. – "Don't you remember how you promised me you would meet with me the next day, and that you would make me part of your pride?"

Vitani didn't actually recall promising that to him… But Dumah didn't let her explain herself, and just went on with his rant.

-"And do you know whom I met when I did show up? I was expecting you, but instead I saw a furious old lioness charging at me, calling me a trespasser! I had to run from her, or else she would have tore me to shreds!"

 _Oh yes, that's right- Zira did make sure he wouldn't return… I just didn't know she did it in such a brutal way…_

-"And you know what? I'm glad I didn't stay in those cursed Outlands! Instead I came here, found this pride, defeated their former leader in combat and now I'm boss, and I have enough of everything. I don't need another mate or another mouth to feed, so you better get back to where you came from, Vitani, or else I'm going to get _really_ angry!"

Vitani didn't really know what to say. _Why did I even come here, then?_ The trembling youngster at her side leaned over and whispered in her ear:

-"You better listen to him… Dumah doesn't like when females don't do what he tells them…"

Unfortunately, Dumah heard that.

-"You shut up, Aibu!" – he roared, his handsome face disfigured by the rage. – "I'm not done with you yet. Do you think your stupid act of letting this rogue into my land will go unpunished?"

The lioness flinched, and Vitani felt sorry for her.

-"Dumah, listen" – she said. – "I'm not here to join your pride. I'm here to warn you. Yesterday, not far from here, I met another rogue lion, a male. He told me he's planning to challenge you and take the River Pride away from you."

When he hear her explanation, Dumah opened his mouth wide and lead out a wave of laughter.

-" _HAHAHA_! And you expect me to believe you? Do you think I don't know that you're just trying to talk yourself out of a difficult situation? Pathetic, really."

Then he grabbed his mate by the scruff of her neck and started shaking her so hard that tears appeared in the lioness' eyes.

-"This is _my_ pride, DO YOU HEAR ME? Nobody will ever take it away from me, and I will not let anyone threaten me _in my own land_!"

Then he let the lioness go and charged at Vitani with a roar. She almost thought that he would bite her… But when she moved away by a few steps, the lion just laughed at her again.

-" _Ha_! Go on, get out of here! Give my regards to your mother. Are you deaf? Move it, _now_! You've given me enough amusement already."

And so Vitani left. As she walked through the River Pride's territory toward the setting sun, she saw something different in the lionesses' expressions. She had a feeling they were trying to inform her that… she'd better not stay with them.

 _Dumah turned out to be someone else than I thought… Darn it! I should have known better not to judge a hyena by its spots!_

And so she left, feeling sorry for the females under his ruthless command, hoping that the other rogue would indeed come and free them from him. She regretted telling Dumah that he was coming… But now it didn't matter, anyway.

Left without a destination again, Vitani sat down under some tree outside of the River Pride's territory. And as she was preparing to go to sleep after such a busy day, she suddenly noticed that she was not alone.

A shape of something small lurked in the bushes, and Vitani felt the scent of another lion. She realized that she had been followed.

-"Who's there? Show yourself!" – she ordered.

Then she saw that the one who was following her was the very same lioness that showed her the way to Dumah.

-"Aibu!" – he said, recalling her name. – "What are you doing here?"

The youngster looked frightened, yet driven by some strange sense of duty and compassion.

-"Listen, Vitani…" – she mumbled, constantly looking around like there was someone out there to get her. – "I don't have much time. I'm sorry about how Dumah treated you…"

Surprised by her apology, Vitani looked at her curiously.

-"Yeah, well, at least I don't have to live with him… He's not treating you well, is he?"

Aibu shook her head sadly.

-"Well, in that case, you better get back to him or he might get angry."

-"No! I mean, he's sleeping now. But I wanted to tell you one more thing. In case you don't know where to go… About an hour's walk from our territory, there's a small cave. There's an old, sickly lioness living there. Me and the other females take care of her, and in exchange she offers us advice and shares her experience with us. We call her our Sage…"

Vitani received the young lioness' words like a revelation. _Wait a minute… Did she say 'old lioness'?_ At once, like a distant echo, she heard her father's words from her dream- " _find her…_ "

-"Let me guess. This Sage of yours lives in the east, right?" – Vitani asked with a beating heart.

Aibu looked at her in astonishment.

-"How did you know that?"

The lioness laughed aloud. _Destiny, of course._

-"I took a guess. Thanks a lot for telling me this, Aibu. I'll go meet with the old lioness first thing in the morning. We'll see what we can do about your problem with Dumah… and mine".

The youngster smiled hearing that and quickly said goodbye, heading back to her pride. That night Vitani fell asleep with hope in her heart, knowing that the truth, whatever it was, waited right around the corner.

* * *

 **AN: Oooh, tough luck for Vitani... _again_! **

**Or is it? Will Aibu's advice lead her to the answer to all of this mess?**


	16. The Secret

**Chapter 16 – The Secret**

Right after sunrise, Vitani rose from sleep and headed east, circling around the River Pride's territory. This time, she didn't run into any hyenas or rogues. And Aibu did not deceive her, either- she found a nearby small rock formation with ease. That was where the Sage, this Old Lioness which Rafiki and Scar had been talking about, was supposed to live. And that was where she was supposed to find the answers to her questions.

 _This is it_ – she thought as she walked into the cave. What was this 'truth' she meant to find here? How would it help her? She didn't know yet, but she desperately wanted to find out.

The first thing she felt as she entered the Old Lioness' lair was the strong smell of filth and rotting flesh. But even that didn't stop her. Inside a large, dark cavern, she stood among piles of bones and pieces of old meat, looking around, trying to estimate if anyone was there.

Then, from behind her, she heard a ghastly voice that both frightened her and filled her with anticipation. She found what she was looking for.

-"Come in, Vitani! Enter the shadow, Daughter of Darkness. I have been expecting you!"

She turned around to face the direction from which the unpleasant, raspy voice of someone of extreme age was coming. Her heart was beating like a drum. Straining her eyes in the darkness, she notices something bundled up in one of the corners of the cave. Something frail and wounded. She understood not only that the Old Lioness must have been completely blind, but also that the smell in the cave didn't come from the scraps of meat that were lying around, but from her putrid injuries. A shiver ran down her spine.

' _Hurt is she, and now close to death' – Rafiki said. It's a good thing I made it on time…_

-"How do you know my name?" – Vitani asked her first question, standing next to the Old Lioness and noticing that her fur was of a dark brown colour. – "Did Aibu tell you I was coming?"

The Sage laughed silently, although Vitani could sense she was in pain and had trouble breathing.

-" _Heh-heh_. Why, no. Poor Aibu, having to put up with a mate she hates day by day… I do feel for her. But no, my dear. I had known that you would come to me long before that. It had been predicted. _You left Simba's kingdom for a reason_ , remember?"

 _How can she know all this_? – the young lioness felt more and more confused. Powers were at work here that she never even knew existed.

-"You must have met Rafiki the shaman, then" – Vitani guessed. The old lioness laughed.

-" _Huh_! Rafiki, that old fool… He was only a tool to lead you to me, my dear. But he was right in one thing- here you will find the truth which will open your eyes."

This was all getting much too strange for Vitani's fancy.

-"Tell me!" – she demanded. – "I've been walking for days to find you. Now I want to know!"

-"But of course you do, my dear." – smiled the Sage. – "Although first, let me ask you one question- what do you know of arranged marriages?"

-" _Arranged marriages_?" – Vitani repeated, completely stupefied.

The Old Lioness cleared her throat and coughed before speaking again.

-" _Ehm_! Yes. Forgive me for being so self-occupied, but the truth you seek is intertwined with the story of my own life. And it so happens that my life, or at least the significant part of it, began with such an unfortunate betrothal. I was the daughter of a great lord, you see, and my father destined me to become the mate of an even greater noble lion. It's a shame I had nothing to say about the whole arrangement, what you will soon see turned out to be catastrophic in its consequences… at least to some."

Vitani listened carefully. What sort of noble lioness could this walking corpse be?

-"Who _are_ you?" – she asked, still bedazzled by the fact that the Old Lioness seemed to have known her well.

The Sage smiled again and tried to stand up, but she was far too weak for that. Instead, she coughed another time and continued her story.

-"I am… I _were_ a queen once. My father had me marry the finest lion in Africa- none other than the king of the Pridelands himself…"

-"You're a Pridelander!" – Vitani gasped, interrupting her.

-"Yes, dear. I'm a Pridelander just as yourself. My name is Uru, and once, a long time ago, I was the mate of king Ahadi."

The young lioness couldn't believe what she was hearing. All she knew about king Ahadi was that he had died a long time ago. And everybody, including her, was positive that also queen Uru died long ago… But here she was, lying right in front of her.

-"But if you're Uru… that must mean that…" – Vitani realized something, but hesitated to express it aloud. In spite of that, the Sage nodded as if she knew what she was about to say.

-"Yes, dear. I am your grandmother. I know who's daughter you are, no need to hide it. I have been waiting so long to finally meet you…"

Uru gazed at her with her blind eyes. But somehow, Vitani still couldn't convince herself to trust this old female, even if she really was her grandmother.

-"Why have you brought me here?" – she inquired suspiciously.

-"Dear Vitani, it wasn't me who brought you here. It was your own desire to know the truth."

-"What is this _truth,_ then?!"

-"Ah, no need to become impatient. I shall continue with my story, if you don't mind. As I have mentioned, my prearranged marriage with king Ahadi was more of a drudgery than one would expect. On my behalf, that is. For you must understand that to my mate, I have always been a good and faithful queen. Wherever Ahadi sent me, I went. Whatever he desired of me, I did. I was his _slave_ , my dear- and I did my best to fulfill all the duties of a slave. But I _hated_ it. And that was why, shortly after our marriage ceremony, when Ahadi had me visit a neighbouring pride on a mission of diplomacy, while himself being busy with other matters of the kingdom, I agreed without a moment of hesitation. Ahadi was a righteous lion, you see- sickeningly righteous. All he ever talked about was duty and law, and how one should obey the law. But the leader of the pride I visited lived by a different law. He and his pride had taken over a watering hole and wouldn't permit anyone else to come near it. Ahadi demanded of me to use all means possible in order to persuade him to cease this ordeal, as the other animals in the land were dying of thirst. And so, obedient mate that I was, I spoke with the pride's leader and asked what his demands were. He only had one demand. It was a wicked one, and would mean the breaking of my marriage vows- a high form of treason against my husband, the king. But, since the king himself demanded of me to use _all_ the possible means… You understand that, naturally, I couldn't oppose! The time I spent with that foreigner were the happiest moments of my life. After all these years, I still remember his handsome, golden fur! For once, I felt that I was free. And as I have fulfilled all his demands, he promised to permit others to use the water hole that his pride had captured. You should have seen how proud Ahadi was with me! He was so satisfied he spent the next night with me, having told me all about how he'd been waiting impatiently for the return of his beloved, _obedient_ mate… See Vitani, that was the beginning of my secret. For a hundred days later, a cub was born- a male cub whom king Ahadi, and all of the Pridelands along with him, acknowledged as his firstborn son and heir- the future king of the Pridelands. And I celebrated with them. But deep inside my heart, I kept the truth carefully hidden. The truth that Mufasa was _not_ Ahadi's son. That he was merely a bastard, fathered by a commoner and born out of wedlock."

As she listened to Uru's story, Vitan's astonishment kept growing until it became pure shock. Finally, all she could say was:

-"What happened then?"

The Sage snorted.

-"Of course, that fool Ahadi was overjoyed! He spent all his time with Mufasa, teaching him about duty and lawfulness and how to be a good king. And even though, as he grew, my first son still did not bear any resemblance to the king, Ahadi put all his effort into raising the cub that wasn't even his son." – Uru chuckled before continuing. – "And then, another cub was born in the Pridelands… My dear, sweet Taka- the _only_ child I had with my rightful mate, and his _true_ heir!"

Vitani gasped.

-"My father…" – she could only whisper.

-"Yes! My precious Taka… Oh, how he suffered! How he cried when again and again he saw his father spending whole days with Mufasa as he was left with no one to take care of him but me!"

-"But… Did my father know that he was Ahadi's son, and not Mufasa?" – Vitani could barely force the words out of her throat. Uru turned her head suddenly, and the young lioness saw that she had tears in her eyes.

-" _Of course_ he knew! He was the _only_ _one_ who knew! Why else do you think he acted as he did? Because he desired to own some title or power he never even had the right to possess? No, Vitani! Your father _was_ the rightful heir to the throne at Pride Rock, not Mufasa! Don't you understand? _This_ is the truth! _This_ is the answer to all of your doubts!"

-"I can't believe it…" – Vitani said, feeling a heavy weight on her chest. It all became clear to her now- unanswered questions from the past of which her life was built. ' _The truth will answer all questions, yours and otherwise'_ – _Rafiki said. And the truth was…_

-"This must mean that, all along, Scar was right! And so was Zira! Mufasa was a usurper, and so is Simba. This is… unbelievable!"

-"But it is the truth, Vitani! The only truth I taught my beloved Taka to hold on to with all his will and power. And so he did! Oh, he did have his moments of doubt when he thought that he would never become king in Mufasa's place… But I kept on assuring him that, one day, our dream would come true!"

The more she thought of it, the more Vitani realized what sort of a person Uru really was. Suddenly, the darkness around them seemed even darker.

-"This means that… you made one of your sons kill the other one. If it weren't for you, my father would never have become a murderer…"

The Sage laughed as if she was proud of herself.

-"Oh, my dear boy had enough wit and ambition of his own! But I did help him. I convinced him to try to make buffaloes attack Mufasa during a drought once when they were young, but since I wasn't there to oversee the outcome, the plan backfired. That was how Taka got his scar and his alias. And to think that he almost abandoned our plan after that one unfortunate event! The good thing was that Ahadi fell for his remorse, and decided to give him another chance. It was then that my fool mate entrusted Taka with leading the Lion Guard. He though that would teach him not to think only about himself. _Ha_! But that was just the perfect opportunity for us to try to seize power with the help of the Roar! It was too bad Taka's companions from the Guard decided to disobey him. They died. And soon afterwards Ahadi, who had accused our son of murder, had to die, too…"

Vitani couldn't listen to this anymore.

-" _No_! I will _never_ believe that Scar also killed his own father!"

After a moment of heavy silence, Uru sighed.

-"No. My sweet, tender child would never do such a thing. It was I who entered our chamber carrying a snake one night, and laid it at Ahadi's side. He never should have accused Taka of murder… That was too inconvenient. He had to disappear sooner or later, one way or the other. How shocked he was when he saw me, his faithful mate, while he was unable to move or scream as the poison flowed through his veins! Alas, his father's death was devastating to Taka, especially when I told him I was responsible for getting rid of him… Yes, that was our moment of crisis. My son said he never wanted to see me again, and that all I brought him was misery. So, assuming the role of a mournful widow, I left Pride Rock… I wandered the borders of the kingdom for a long time, almost losing hope, seeing that Taka had totally abandoned his quest for the throne. And then Mufasa's son, the usurper Simba, was born… I couldn't stand looking at all of it from afar! I took my chances and decided to go speak with Taka again. How happy I was when he embraced me, expressing that he'd missed his mother! Although he did not allow me to stay, he listened when I advised him not to abandon his destiny. I left, watching with delight as he weaved his plot that finally lead to Mufasa and, as we thought, Simba's death. Finally, Taka was king! I could hardly believe that after all those years, the rightful heir had finally ascended the throne! At last, I could rest. He was there, where his place was, together with his hyenas and Zira. And then, you were born… I thought everything was going to be fine! Oh, curse Simba for coming back! He took my beloved son's life! The usurper murdered the rightful king! I thought I would die from the horror… I ran away from the Pridelands, and I never came back. But I observed. I kept on gazing into the darkness, and I saw how Zira raised you and Kovu to fulfill your destiny- to execute the final judgment of revenge! True, Zira perished, but her legacy and Taka's lives on… _in you. In your blood_. For you are Scar's heiress, Vitani, and you came here for this very reason- to learn this, and to fulfill your destiny, Daughter of Darkness! All your life you have been forgotten and mistreated, but now comes the time of retribution. You are the true queen, and now you must go and kill the wretch who dares to call himself the king of the Pridelands!"

When Uru finally stopped speaking, she was completely tired and out of breath. Vitani, however, was still in shock. Her mind was in turmoil and she didn't know at all what to think of all of this.

-"You want me to kill Simba?" – she asked. _Was my destiny to become like Zira all along?_ – "But… how? I'm by myself, I don't have a pride to conquer a kingdom with…"

-"Don't you?" – Uru grinned. – "Just look around!"

-"What, do you mean the River Pride?" – Vitani asked, not sure of what she was referring to.

-" _Heh-heh_ , them too…" – smiled the Sage. – "Do you remember the rogue you've met?"

Again, the young lioness stood in shock. How could Uru know all this?

-"The… rogue?"

-"Yes, the rogue with the brown mane! Do you mean to tell me that you never even bothered asking him what his name was? Well, you should have, because he's a Pridelander, just like you."

-" _Huh_?"

-"Yes, you heard me! His name is Chumvi, and he's Ahadi's sister's grandson. Taka exiled him from the Pridelands during his reign, but he has royal blood in him, as well. Just go and speak to him, and he will gladly assist you in your mission. He is also here for a reason. Find him, and I'm sure you'll know where to go from there."

This was quite enough. Completely exhilarated from shock, Vitani could do nothing but laugh. The whole puzzle came together right there and then- a story that lasted for years was about to find its end, and although she never thought it would be that way, she was now its main character! Vitani could hardly make out if it was all part of her destiny, if it all belonged to her long-dead ancestors' plan, or was just an element of her old grandmother's huge intrigue.

-"Alright, Uru" – she said finally. – "You probably understand that all of this is hard for me to swallow at the same time… Give me a few hours, okay?"

Her grandmother smiled, looking at her with content in her unseeing eyes.

-"That's fine, my dear. Now you know the truth. Let yourself be lead by it, and you will find the right answers."

As Vitani walked out of the cave, all she could think of were Rafiki's words- 'the truth will answer all questions, yours and otherwise. Or better yet- if you follow the right path, it will teach you to answer them yourself'.

* * *

 **AN: Well, cat's out of the bag now... The Pridalands ain't as idyllic as they seem to be, no? The 'evil Uru' theory is something I use in my stories quite often.**

 **Now it's up to Tani to write the last chapters of this story.**


	17. Nothing

**Chapter 18 – Nothing**

'The truth will answer all questions, yours and otherwise. Or better yet- if you follow the right path, it will teach you to answer them yourself'.

When Vitani exited Uru's cave, it was already dusk. She tried to understand both her and Rafiki's words, but although the Old Lioness' story indeed explained to her much about the Pridelands, still Vitani felt a darkness in her heart that resembled the one of the approaching night. Her grandmother wanted her to go and avenge Scar, Zira and herself by killing Simba- she understood that much. Indeed, now she had more reasons than ever to actually do that… But wasn't that the path of the shadow? She was the Daughter of Darkness, after all, but wasn't that the same road which her father and foster mother had followed, and failed?

'The path of light will lead you to the answer' – that was another thing that Rafiki emphasized. But according to Uru, Rafiki was just a fool… Was that why her lair, even though it lay in the east, was all completely dark inside? Was gazing into the darkness for so long what caused Uru to go blind?

Then Vitani thought of her father again. What would Scar want her to do, if he was here? She knew now what his secret was, the one she saw him revealing to Simba in her dream- that it was him, not Mufasa's son, who was the rightful king of the Pridelands… But was she, Scar's daughter, really his heiress? If she knew one thing about her father, it was that he always despised the laws of inheritance which his ancestors had always blindly observed.

So here Uru made a mistake. Vitani was not Scar's successor- Kovu was. He chose him personally even though Vitani was his own daughter, and Kovu was not. But the choice had been made. And where was Kovu now? He was about to become king anyway, without bloodshed or violence!

As she fell asleep, her mind completely exhausted, Vitani only wished Kovu could be by her side. But he wasn't. The choice was hers alone to make.

She was awaken by the rays of the rising sun, and felt as if only a minute had passed since she closed her eyes. But the sight of the sun which, again, beckoned her toward Uru's lair, reassured her that the decision she had made was right.

Again she entered the shadow of the cave, feeling much better than when she was leaving it. _Enough of this destiny nonsense, time to take my fate into my own paws. If I follow the right path, the truth will teach me how to answer my questions myself. Well, let's see what I have learned…_

Her grandmother welcomed her with a smile.

-"Come in, come in my dear! Has the night helped you in making a decision?"

-"In a way. It was rather the rising sun, actually…" – she answered casually, walking toward one of the walls and starting to sharpen her claws on the rocks instead of facing Uru.

-"Well then…?" – asked the Sage impatiently. – "What are you going to do?"

Vitani waited before delivering an answer. She wasn't finished with her morning duties yet. Zira had taught her to always keep her claws sharp. After that, she cleaned her fur. And then she just said one word:

-"Nothing."

-" _What_? What do you mean by ' _nothing_ '?!" – Uru's voice turned into a screech from the shock of hearing such a response.

Vitani stood in front of her and looked down at her crippled grandmother.

-"You heard me. I'm not planning on doing anything. Simba exiled me from the Pridelands and, as you said yourself, he did that for a reason. The truth is he was afraid. He was afraid that he might have someone like _you_ in his kingdom- an evil, dark soul that lusts only for blood and vengeance. And, in a way, he was right. Cause you almost had me convinced, _grandmother_. To follow your shadowy path, like you did with my father. Before he died following it, that is."

-" _Scar was the rightful king_!" – Uru snarled furiously, almost frothing at the mouth. – "And you are his heiress! You _must_ avenge him! You _must_ avenge my son!"

-"Which one of them?" – Vitani growled back.

Now the Sage gazed at her with pure hatred, furious that she was unable to attack. The younger, stronger lioness put her paw on her throat.

-"Listen to me, _Uru._ For someone who suffered from being a slave of a mate you didn't love, you like giving a lot of orders! But I'm not a cub anymore, I can do whatever I want. And I will _not_ go back to the Pridelands- at least not yet. Who cares if Simba isn't the rightful king? At least he's not a power-hungry murderer! You are wrong. Even though Scar's blood flows through my veins, I'm not the one he chose to inherit the throne. It was Kovu. And now, according to Scar's directions, Kovu _will_ become the king. He doesn't need me, or you, to do that. Especially not you. _You_ , who corrupted my father's heart and convinced him to kill your other son. _You_ , who killed your own mate, and who are responsible for the tragedy of many others in the Pridelands. No more!"

Vitani let her go. She didn't want to kill anyone. She didn't want to keep being the Daughter of Darkness. Leaving Uru on the floor, snarling in rage, she went back to the rock she'd loosened while sharpening her claws against its surface.

\- "The path of light will lead me to the answer" – she repeated Rafiki's words again. – "Enough of this hiding in the shadows!"

And then she leaned against the loose rock with all her strength, and groaned as she pushed it aside with the highest effort. As the rock moved, the morning sunbeams fell into the cave, slowly filling it with light.

-" _No_! What are you doing!" – Uru rolled in the dirt, trying to move as far away from the sun as she could. – "My eyes!"

But her efforts were futile. Soon the rising sun was throwing its rays straight through the new entrance to the den, revealing Uru's miserable appearance to the outside world- the ugliness of her age, her injuries, and the cataract that covered her once-green eyes.

-"The sun rises over lands of darkness to fill them with light" – Vitani said, panting from the strain, as she stood in front of her terrified grandmother. – "You are a coward, Uru. Face it. If only you had revealed your dark secret to king Ahadi, instead of hiding it from the light of day, maybe you could have lived your life differently, and not lurking in the darkness. Maybe we all could have. But now, enough of this. I'm putting an end to all of it today. I, Scar's daughter."

-"Then kill me" – the Old Lioness yelped in despair. But Vitani had other plans.

-"No. You will stay here until it's time for you to die, taken care of by the River Pride, grandmother. With a little luck, you'll have enough time to rethink your life, if it's not too late for that already."

She had nothing more to say. Vitani turned around and headed toward the exit to the cave, not paying attention to what Uru was yelling at her. She walked until she could hear her voice no longer.

 _I'm so sick of fighting_ – she thought. – _I wonder where I_ _ _should_ go now?_

After a minute or so, she realized that she was hungry. Wondering if there was still anything left of the zebra she caught the other day, she turned toward the river. As she went over the hill to the drinking spot, she saw that the corpse was still there…

And that there was a rogue lion picking out the leftover meat.

 _Oh brother, not him again… Well, I guess it's just destiny._

-" _Chumvi_!" – she yelled at him, almost making him choke. – "You thief! That's _my_ meat, not yours!"

The brown lion, completely astonished, quickly wiped the blood off his muzzle.

-"Oh, it's _you_! I-I didn't hear you coming… The prey was just lying there, so I thought you didn't want it anymore… _Hey_ , wait a minute! How do you know my name, anyway?"

With a mischievous smile, Vitani approached the carcass and took a bite. Then, turning toward the male, she said:

-"You were born in the Pridelands. Your mother's name is Azari, and her mother's name was Azuni- she was the sister of king Ahadi. You were exiled about three years ago by king Scar, Ahadi's son. You think that lions are superior to all other creatures, and your favorite color is red."

Chumvi wouldn't have been more shocked if he saw a ghost. The expression on his face was so stupid that it made Vitani laugh involuntarily.

-"Ho… how do you know all this? Are you the famous Sage everyone here is taking about?"

Vitani snorted.

-" _Puh_! Do I look like I'm fifty years old to you? C'mon, get real, Chumvi! I'm a Pridelander too, I knew your mother. Nala, your best cubhood friend, is my mother. They both told me stories about you. And Scar, who banished you shortly before I was born, was my father. My name is Vitani, pleased to meet you."


	18. The Two Pridelanders

**Chapter 18 – Two Pridelanders**

A process of intensive thinking began in the rogue's brain. After a minute or so, he suddenly opened his eyes and said:

-"You're Nala's daughter! And you're saying Scar was your father? Oh, that poor girl! Uh, no offence… How's my mother doing? And how's Nala? Is Scar still king? Man, I have so many questions to ask you… How did you become a rogue, by the way?"

Unable to answer all of his questions at the same time, Vitani started nibbling at what was left of the zebra meat again.

-"Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?" – she said with her mouth full.

A bit crestfallen, Chumvi apologized and asked if he could join her. This time, Vitani said okay. They were from the same pride, after all.

They talked for a long time, discussing what had happened in the past couple of years. The lioness told the rogue all that happened since his exile- about Simba's return, about the Otlanders, and about how she herself left the Pridelands. Chumvi was delighted to hear that both his mother and Nala were still alive, and that his friend was now the happy mate of the king. He also congratulated her that Kovu, her stepbrother, was about to become Simba's successor.

In return, Chumvi told Vitani about his travels, and how he learned of the existence of the River Pride- a group of desperate lionesses, ruled by a ruthless male, that had no other help than the advice of the Sage. He was greatly surprised when he learned that the Old Lioness was actually Uru- king Ahadi's mate.

-"Are you sure about that?" – he kept on asking.

-"Yeah, I'm positive. The Sage is my grandmother. Talk about a coincidence, right? But she's the one responsible for Scar's evil. I don't think you would want to listen to anything she would tell you."

-"Probably not. From what I heard, all she was advising the females from the River Pride to do was to wait for a rogue to come around and take Dumah's place. So I thought…"

-" _Shhh_!" – Vitani silenced him, suddenly springing to her feet. – "Someone's coming! _Look_!"

But it was already too late. As soon as they were able to get up and turn that way, Dumah was already walking down the hill toward them, his golden mane gleaming in the sun as he did so. His lionesses sat down behind him at the top.

-"Well well, who have we here…" – he spoke, smiling sarcastically. – " _Tsk-tsk_. I'm greatly disappointed in you, Kitana. I thought that after I didn't permit you to join my pride, you would just leave peacefully. But no. Instead, you decided to betray me with the very rogue you were warning me about! It's good that you at least lead us straight to him."

-"My name is Vitani…" – she growled at him. But then she noticed how Chumvi was looking at her. – "… and it's not like that at all! He's lying!"

-"There there…" – Dumah said with fake compassion. – "I wouldn't worry about that. Why bother? After all, both of you will soon be dead."

The grin he showed them was particularly nasty. Vitani and Chumvi looked at each other helplessly.

-"Ladies, attack!" – Dumah gave the order. But his lionesses remained where they stood. Their leader looked at them angrily. – "What's wrong with you? I ordered you to attack! Kill the trespassers, right now!"

But no matter how loud he screamed, none of them as much as moved a muscle. Instead, one lioness spoke- and Vitani saw that it was Aibu.

-"You have to face the challenger yourself, Dumah. That is the law."

The infuriated lion growled back at her.

-"Who are you to give orders to _me_ , you whelp?"

But then, other lionesses stood in her defense.

-"Aibu's right! The law! You two have to duel! This is how you defeated our former leader yourself!" – they said.

Soon Dumah discovered that all of his pride was against him.

-"Fine! Shut up already!" – he yelled at them. – "Stupid females. Completely useless."

As the leader of the River Pride approached to stand in front of his challenger, Chumvi gulped.

-"You're gonna win, aren't you?" – Vitani whispered to him. – "You better win, cause my bet is on you…"

-"I-I didn't think this fight would happen _today_... I'm not particularly readyyyyYYYAH!" – he cried as he dodged Dumah's unannounced first attack.

The two lions clashed in a whirlwind of fury and violence. It was hard to predict the outcome, as both of them were similar in terms of size and age, and both were experienced rogues.

-"Chumvi! C'mon, hit'em in the muzzle! Bite'em!" – Vitani cheered rather desperately, while the other lionesses observed in silence.

The duel lasted for a long time and was a very close call. After several minutes of fighting, both opponents were covered with mud and wounds. Both were tired, but both were far from wanting to surrender. Finally, Chumvi charged at Dumah in a rage, but the golden lion made a quick sidestep. The brown one, carried by his momentum, slipped on the mud and fell into the river. That was the moment Duma had been waiting for.

-"Now you're mine!" – he grinned, and pounced straight at his opponent, crushing him with the whole weight of his body.

And then he put his paws on Chumvi's chest in order to drown him.

-" _No_!" - Vitani protested, looking at the bubbles of air that ran from underneath Dumah's paws in panic. – "You can't do that! Let him go you _coward_!"

But Dumah refused to listen. Just a few more moments and he would have won the battle, even though it was also against the rules to kill the opponent in a legal challenge.

Vitani couldn't just stand there anymore. Deciding to save Chumvi from drowning, she rushed at Dumah from behind and slashed the skin on his back with her claws.

-" _RRRRAH_!" – the golden lion roared in pain, letting go of his prey. He groaned in pain, but was still able to stand and face Vitani.

-"Who do you think you are to interfere?" – he snarled at her in rage.

-"I am the daughter of king Scar" – she answered – "and a Pridelander, just like _HIM_!"

As Dumah prepared to avenge himself on Vitani, he failed to notice that Chumvi, although soaking wet, was already up on his feet and ready for another attack. And so he charged straight at the golden male, colliding with him forcefully. A sound of cracking ribs could be heard.

The two rolled over several times, and finally, to Vitani's delight, Chumvi ended up on top of Dumah, pinning him to the ground.

-"Sur… render" – he huffed.

All that Dumah could do was groan, roll his eyes and say:

-"Have it your way, Pridelander… I surrender."

Now all the females- Vitani together with the ones from the River Pride- cheered with joy. Scar's daughter ran up to the victor and helped him stand.

-"You did it, Chumvi! You beat him!" – she laughed.

-"Yeah…" – panted the exhausted brown lion. – "I guess… so. Thanks… for helping… me out!"

-"Let's say it was for that time with the hyenas. Now we're even!"

By the time Vitani finished speaking, all the River Pride lionesses ran down the hill to examine the one who was, after all, their new leader. The old one remained lying on the ground for a while, but then managed to lift himself up from the sand. Without a word, he began to walk away.

-"Hey Dumah!" – Chumvi called out after him, noticing that he wanted to leave.

The golden lion, humiliated and hurt, turned around and looked at him scornfully.

-" _What_? Would you like to finish the job and kill me?"

-"I think you've had enough" – Vitani said to him. – "Just keep walking, Dumah. And make sure to never come back."

 _I always wanted to say that –_ she thought to herself with satisfaction. But as the defeated lion turned his back at her again, she kind of felt sorry for him.

-"You gonna be okay?" – she asked, finally.

Dumah stopped and sighed. He turned around one last time, and looked toward Chumvi with a very sad expression. Somehow, Vitani had the impression that he was… afraid?

-"Please don't kill my cubs" – the golden lion whispered.

But Chumvi smiled, assuring him that he had nothing to worry about.

-"I won't, I promise! After all, if king Scar, Vitani's father, hadn't spared me after he took the throne of the Pridelands, I wouldn't have been alive! Your cubs are going to be raised here, and then, when they become adults, I'll send them out into the savannah so they can become rogues and search for prides of their own."

Chumvi's word being enough of an assurance for him, Dumah left in peace. Then Vitani thought that her fellow Pridelander was right- Scar did spare the cubs in his pride after he became king. So maybe he wasn't completely corrupt after all?

After celebrating Chumvi's success, the members of the River Pride- the old ones as well as the new- decided to visit the Old Lioness in order to let her know that they now had a new leader. Vitani followed them hesitantly, but when they arrived at the spot, they noticed that Uru wasn't breathing.

 _Almost all that she'd planned came true –_ Vitani thought to herself, looking at her grandmother's lifeless body. _– She predicted that I would run into Chumvi, and that he would beat Dumah in a duel. She wanted me to lead the River Pride to overthrow Simba and take over Pride Rock. Her scheme was set in motion, and now she completed her life's purpose. Too bad, because I'm not planning to follow the path of darkness, as she did… Now it's time to see if we can fix this new pride of ours somehow, instead of just using them as soldiers, like Zira did with the Outlanders…_

* * *

 **AN: Hey! Things are actually working out for the better even though Vitani chose not to follow Uru's path! So much for destiny.**


	19. Sunrise

**Chapter 19 – Sunrise**

After Chumvi seized the leadership of the River Pride, Vitani finally considered that her journey has reached its end. She had no more reason to go anywhere, at least until she would find out that Kovu ascended the throne of the Pridelands. Now it was time for her to follow a new path- the one of light.

Chumvi turned out to be a good and wise leader- something that she had not seen before in her lifetime. And she couldn't pretend that she was not impressed with his victory over Dumah… They would spend long hour together, talking about the lions from their former pride they both had known, and about their own scars from the past. The brown lion was a caring, compassionate companion- he reminded her of Kovu, and became a friend she always wanted to have. Before long, they became mates, and Chumvi invited Vitani to rule the pride with him as, how he expressed it, it was in her blood.

For some time, Vitani felt at peace. She decided to put her past behind her, and do what she could to avoid making the same mistakes that others have committed, especially the ones who were close to her.

There was only one instance when her peace was disturbed. She went over to Uru's old cave one time, but found nothing there except for dry bones. That night she couldn't fall asleep for some reason, and when she did, to her horror, she found herself in the same dream that she saw after returning to the Outlands.

She stood at the foot of Pride Rock, in the middle of the night. Up above her head were Simba and Scar, arguing with each other.

-"No!" – she gasped, and this time decided to interfere.

As she ran, ascending the stony ledge, she could hear her father and his nephew speaking the same words she heard in her earlier dream.

-"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart" – Scar said angrily.

-"Uncle, you must understand…" – answered Simba, in an attempt to explain himself. – "… the pressures of ruling a kingdom…"

-"… are no longer yours. Step down, Simba."

\- "Oh, of course, I would, naturally. But there's one little problem. You see them? They think _I'm_ king."

-"Well, Simba… But _are you_?"

A thunderbolt ripped through the sky, and suddenly Vitani was standing behind Scar's back. There was no one there but her, her father and Simba, who was holding on to the edge of Pride Rock for his very life.

-"Father! No! Stop!" – she tried to scream, but her words were caught in a vacuum.

-"And here's my little secret…" – Scar bent down to whisper in Simba's ear. – "You are _not_ the rightful king of the Pridelands, and neither was your father. _I_ am the rightful king. And so will my heir be after I'm gone."

-" _NOOOOO_ …!"

Again, Simba's scream echoed in Vitani's head as he fell to his death. Now it was only her and Scar. As he turned around, she wanted to run away and hide in the darkest corner. But she couldn't move.

She was half ready to see nothing but the skull Simba had shown her in Scar's Den on that one dreadful night, but it wasn't like that at all. For the first time since she was a cub, she saw her father's face closely- his black mane, his stern emerald eyes, his namesake- the scar that disfigured both his face and his heart…

-"Now you know the truth" – he spoke with the voice she heard all that time ago in the Pridelands, but was no longer able to recall. She could barely stand the way he looked at her.

-'Father.." – she whispered, turning her face away from his gaze, feeling the tears filling her eyes. – "Have I… failed you? Is this what you came to tell me? That you are disappointed in me?"

All her life, Vitani feared two things- rejection and failure. It was her upbringing that embedded those fears deeply in her heart, even though she always tried to hide it and run away from the pain. She was rejected by Nala, her own mother, for being the child of rape. She was rejected by Zira, the lioness who raised her, for betraying her. But what about Scar? She thought she would never know that, but did her father decide to return from beyond the grave just this once to show her how disappointed he was in her?

-"Father, tell me- have I failed you by not following Uru's advice?" – she asked him one more time, too afraid to look him in the face.

-"Vitani… No, on the contrary."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She opened her eyes, and noticed that Scar's face did not have a stern expression on it any more. He was smiling!

-"I'm proud of you, my daughter" – said the dead king with satisfaction. – "Look over there- "

Scar pointed east with his paw, and Vitani noticed that the sun was just about to rise. And, just like that night when she met with Rafiki, a flash illuminated the horizon so brightly and so suddenly that it seemed that night turned into day in a matter of seconds.

Vitani looked at her father, completely astonished.

-"But how…?"

-"The sun rises even over lands of darkness, and fills them with light." – Scar answered with the words which she remembered so well. – "So it is with you, my dear, because you chose not to run from the light. As I once had… This is why I sent you on your mission. So that you could learn this sooner than I did."

Not able to hold her emotions any longer, Vitani fell into her father's embrace, letting her tears flow freely.

-"But…" – she asked, sobbing. – "But what about you?"

She heard Scar sigh as he held her even tighter.

-"I was the rightful king of the Pridelands, true… but I was wrong. And I suffered the just judgment of the dark deeds I had committed to secure the throne. But between the teeth of the hyenas and death… there was still time for my repentance."

Vitani looked into her father's smiling face, and smiled back herself. Finally, with full sincerity.

-"I'm proud of you" – said he. – "I want you to remember that. I'll be waiting for you. And I'm glad to see that you finally learned how to smile…"

That morning, Vitani was awaken by the sunrise. And as she laid by her mate's side, smiling, she knew that she was the Daughter of Darkness no longer.

THE END

* * *

 **AN: There you go! A happy ending! Yay!**

 **Vitani, having put her past behind her, is now reunited to her father and happily settled down with a mate and a pride of her own. Of course, there are still things to be said about what will happen when Kovu becomes king of the Pridelands. Will Tani be able to go back to her home? Will she reveal to everyone the horrible truth about Mufasa and Simba? That, however, is material for another story.**

 **Thank you all for reading/reviewing/faving etc.! If any one of you likes the Scar X Nala theory, there's an awesome video I found that envisions that. It's really impressive- the animator made it look just like it was a deleted scene from the original movie! Just go to the Tube and type in 'THE LION KING 20th Anniversary Tribute: The Madness of King Scar'. Let this be a reward for following Vitani during her exodus!**

 **I am presently working hard on a new story. I think I will be able to publish the first chapter in a few days or so. So stay tuned, Lion King fans!**

 **Thanks again and take care!**


End file.
